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Definitions

encounter

[en-kaun-ter] / ɛnˈkaʊn tər /
NOUN
brief or unexpected meeting
Synonyms
Antonyms
STRONGEST






Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Trump described the man he’d had a chance encounter with as a 25-year Navy “catapulter” who loves the smell of steam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Fernandes rarely misses a game but was left out of the recent Nations League encounter with Norway as national team boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting man was "playing through pain".

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

But if the great promise of automation is that it gives employees more opportunities to practice hospitality, it’s worth asking what that hospitality looks like when customers scarcely encounter those employees in the first place.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Even as some American manufacturers have benefited as their foreign competitors encounter higher barriers, others struggle with ballooning costs and persistent uncertainty.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Doha clasped his shaking hands tightly, still badly frightened and angered by the encounter.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

The Royal Navy said one of Rice's close encounters was a torpedo being fired towards the boat he was on, only for the missile to go beneath the hull.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

And those encounters, however insignificant they seem, are part of how we learn to share space with other people.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

But officials previously told The Times that postal employees have had other encounters with peacocks, and that the agency has been working with the Pasadena Humane Society regarding concerns involving the birds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

One occurs relatively close to the galaxy, where the jet first encounters the CGM.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

But oh the whole everyone had been extraordinarily helpful and kind, and they had evidence of several genuine encounters.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

However, it also found some 92% of employers had encountered or suspected AI "misconduct" in the job selection process - up from 85% last year.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Because the complete design could be seen only from above, most people encountered it through photographs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Sharpton says some legal residents he encountered around Cleveland feared being "snatched up and deported."

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

He has encountered numerous mothers coping with the sudden death of their partner from causes such as shootings, car accidents and other unexpected events.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

As federal judge Prentiss Marshall explained, “The average person encountered will feel obliged to stop and respond. Few will feel that they can walk away or refuse to answer.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

AST SpaceMobile’s plan to build the first space-based cellular broadband network is encountering major hurdles.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

But it cannot offer the particular surprise of encountering another person who has decided, for no reason other than the pleasure of it, to show me something strange and wonderful.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

While schoolchildren are encountering Google’s AI tools on school-issued Chromebooks, teachers and parents note students are accessing AI through other chatbots, too, such as ChatGPT.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The cast agree that the drama will appeal to both fans of the original and audiences encountering it for the first time.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

As his army marched east, city after city surrendered before him, until by 245 he reached Babylon without encountering serious resistance.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro




Vocabulary lists containing encounter


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