What does "encounter" mean?
A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.
Encounter
/ɪnˈkaʊntə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.
- Grammar: encounter is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: confrontation, meeting, accost, action.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, avoidance, evade.
- Usage evidence: We encounter similar difficulties when we substitute rectangles for triangles in this configuration.
How to use "encounter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "encounter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "encounter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "encounter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "encounter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "encounter" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "confrontation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "encounter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.
"Their encounter was a matter of chance."
- 2 a casual meeting with a person or thing wordnet
- 3 A hostile, often violent meeting; a confrontation, skirmish, or clash, as between combatants.
- 4 a minor short-term fight wordnet
- 5 A match between two opposing sides.
"Andre Santos equalised and the outstanding Theo Walcott put Arsenal ahead for the first time before Juan Mata's spectacular strike set up the finale for an enthralling encounter."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a hostile disagreement face-to-face wordnet
- 7 A sexual encounter; sexual activity, especially unplanned or unexpected, between two people who have not already established a sexual relationship with each other. In many cases, it does not lead to a relationship, and thus is utterly transient. A sexual encounter can be consensual or non-consensual; in the latter case, it is known as sexual assault. A consensual sexual encounter that happens only once is commonly known as a one-night stand.
"Though Mr. Cosby described the sexual encounter in 2004 as consensual, Ms. Constand said she was too intoxicated to physically or verbally resist."
- 8 a casual or unexpected convergence wordnet
- 9 The period of a space mission during which it carries out its data-gathering objectives.
- 10 An extrajudicial killing or execution. India
"Telangana Labour and Employment Minister Malla Reddy on Tuesday said that the guilty person in the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Hyderabad "will be nabbed and will be killed in an encounter"."
Verb
- 1 To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly. transitive
"It fits Ioues ſonne / VVraſtle vvith Lyons, and to tugge vvith Beares, / Grapple vvith Dragons, and incounter VVhales."
- 2 contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle wordnet
- 3 To confront (someone or something) face to face. transitive
- 4 come together wordnet
- 5 To meet one another. intransitive, rare
"[…] yet when the brother and the sister had encountered, according to the set appointment, none of these impassionedments had been repeated."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 come upon, as if by accident; meet with wordnet
- 7 To engage in conflict, as with an enemy. intransitive
"Three armies encountered at Waterloo."
- 8 be beset by wordnet
- 9 To kill or execute someone extrajudicially. India, euphemistic, transitive
"Speaking to the media, Reddy said, "He (Accused in 6-year-old rape and murder case) should be encountered. We will nab the accused and will encounter him. We will stand by the victim's family. We console them and will provide aid to the family. We will encounter him (the accused).""
- 10 experience as a reaction wordnet
Example
"We encounter similar difficulties when we substitute rectangles for triangles in this configuration."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "encounter"?
Common synonyms include: confrontation, meeting, accost, action, advance, affront.
How do you use "encounter" in a sentence?
We encounter similar difficulties when we substitute rectangles for triangles in this configuration.
How do you pronounce "encounter"?
Pronounced /ɪnˈkaʊntə/.
Etymology
From Middle English encountren, from Anglo-Norman encountrer, Old French encontrer (“to confront”), from encontre (“against, counter to”), from Late Latin incontrā (“in front of”) itself from Latin in (“in”) + contrā (“against”).