encounters 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of encounter
1
as in meets
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face quite unexpectedly encountered our next-door neighbor while vacationing in Europe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in finds
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance we encountered a host of unforeseen problems during the restoration of our 200-year-old house

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in faces
to enter into contest or conflict with the troops encountered bands of guerrilla fighters as they made their way across the desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

encounters

2 of 2

noun

plural of encounter
as in skirmishes
a brief clash between enemies or rivals survived an encounter with the school bully at the local park

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of encounters
Verb
An operational problem is resolved before the customer encounters it. — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The country also encounters difficulties in transmitting and distributing electricity, despite substantial power-generation capacity. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026 Trying to find her brother, Prue — aided by Curtis, who reveals previously unseen pluck and ingenuity — encounters a variety of colorful animal and human characters as both friends and foes. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026 In the show, the crew encounters a white hole spewing time and space into the universe, and the only way to close it is for Lister to play space pool, sinking a planet into the interdimensional fissure via an over-elaborate trick shot. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026 After being acquitted on a technicality, the former leader encounters the ghosts of Mayan genocide victims as protests break out throughout the country in response to the verdict. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 For example, turbulence arises when a flowing fluid encounters an obstacle that changes the velocity of part of the flow. — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026 And then Cal’s time traveler colleague Fadimatu encounters her own mummified corpse in a museum in 2018—another paradox. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 Co-starring Madelyn Cline and Penélope Cruz, the film from director Marc Webb revolves around a private-yacht bartender (Cline) who encounters a mysterious, onboard guest (Depp). — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
There are encounters, opportunities, things that inspire you. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 Members carried guns while monitoring police encounters with Black residents. — CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 While Chelsea tend to retreat after taking the lead, their opponents also become more aggressive in response, committing extra bodies forward and helping to create more open, end-to-end encounters. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026 And a New Currents special mention went to South Korean director Lim Hayeon’s debut feature Beach Fictions, about a young woman whose escape to a seaside town brings enigmatic encounters with a novelist, a magician and a fortune teller. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, at least five people in Memphis have been shot in encounters involving task force personnel, four fatally. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026 Such encounters allow audiences to ask how an experience becomes a film, and what the filmmaker learns in making it. — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026 The 16- and 17-year-old boys were identified Sunday after New Castle County police received information that helped investigators track them down following the encounters in the Mallard Pointe neighborhood. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The men have denied wrongdoing, saying that the encounters were consensual or misrepresented in the suit, according to The New York Times. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 11 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encounters
  1. meets
  2. finds
  3. faces
  4. skirmishes
  5. confronts
  6. fights
  7. catches
  8. brushes
Verb
  • The most important job of the General Assembly is to adopt a state budget, in a timely manner, that meets the moment and invests in the future.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
  • On the prison bus, Thomas meets Lisa, his con-artist partner-to-be from episode one.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of meets
Verb
  • On Uncle, fish narc sheds his past experimental impulses and finds a new identity within ebullient, feel-good college rock.
    — Jeff Yerger, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The basic model of competitive markets which one finds in an introductory economics textbook—where independent firms engage in cold arm’s-length transactions motivated by unadulterated self-interest—does not apply to the industry.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of finds
Verb
  • Prosecutors said Wilcox faces a maximum sentence of 74 years to life in prison.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Despite seeking international support and launching a new military offensive, Saudi Arabia faces a conflict with no clear endgame, as fragmented allies and unresolved regional tensions make a lasting solution hard to achieve.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of faces
Noun
  • This leads to even more behind-the-scenes skirmishes laced with character-centric comedy, as opposing factions align.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ties between the two countries remain strained over their long-running Himalayan border dispute, which erupted into a deadly skirmishes in 2020 that saw soldiers from both sides use rocks and iron rods in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of skirmishes
Verb
  • Seyfried confronts Evans Things turn ugly during that same visit to Evans’ home.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Junhee’s sister confronts Donghwa outright about the foolishness of not taking money from his father.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of confronts
Noun
  • The trailer also featured glimpses of steamy makeouts, ATV chases down the beach, fiery explosions, and good ol’ bar fights.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Director Christopher Nolan uses the premise to stage spectacular sequences where cars reverse down freeways at high speed, cause and effect goes topsy-turvy, and fights are just, well, weird.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of fights
Verb
  • But then, Coach Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn), the Catfish’s head coach and Ricky’s father, catches them.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Under the rules, a fan who catches a foul ball records an out.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of catches
Noun
  • How do Japanese hair brushes differ from traditional brushes?
    — Laura Sandroni, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The brushes retail for $198, and 100 percent of proceeds of each sale go toward research funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of brushes

Browse Nearby Words

encountering
encounters
encourage
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Cite this Entry

“Encounters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encounters. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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