Synonyms for encounter
ɛnˈkaʊn təren·counter

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:1.7 / 3 votes

1. encounternoun

   Synonyms:
   skirmish, clash, confrontation, brush

2. encounternoun

   To meet (someone) or find (something) unexpectedly.

   Their encounter was a matter of chance

   Synonyms:
   clash, confrontation, skirmish, brush

3. encounternoun

   To confront (someone or something), notably face to face.

   Synonyms:
   clash, skirmish, confrontation, brush

4. encounternoun

   To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.

   Synonyms:
   confrontation, brush, clash, skirmish

5. encounternoun

   A match between two opposing sides

   Synonyms:
   brush, skirmish, confrontation, clash

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.7 / 3 votes

1. encounterverb

   To attack is to begin hostilities of any kind. A general invades a country by marching in troops; he attacks a city by drawing up an army against it; he assaults it by hurling his troops directly upon its defenses. Assail and assault, tho of the same original etymology, have diverged in meaning, so that assault alone retains the meaning of direct personal violence. One may assail another with reproaches; he assaults him with a blow, a brandished weapon, etc. Armies or squadrons charge; combat and encounter may be said of individual contests. To beset is to set around, or, so to speak, to stud one's path, with menaces, attacks, or persuasions. To besiege and beleaguer are the acts of armies. To encounter is to meet face to face, and may be said either of the attacking or of the resisting force or person, or of both.

   Synonyms:
   assail, assault, attack, attack, beleaguer, beset, besiege, charge, combat, fall upon, invade, set upon, storm

   Antonyms:
   aid, befriend, cover, defend, protect, resist, shelter, shield, support, sustain, uphold, withstand

   Preposition:
   We were attacked by the enemy with cannon and musketry.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. encounter

   Synonyms:
   meet, confront, face, withstand, attack, assault, combat, engagement

   Antonyms:
   elude, avoid, escape, miss, boo

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.6 / 5 votes

1. brush, clash, encounter, skirmishnoun

   a minor short-term fight

   Synonyms:
   brushing, face-off, clangor, brush, coming upon, clang, clash, brushwood, skirmish, clank, confrontation, clangour, copse, meeting, thicket, showdown, friction, crash, coppice, clangoring, light touch

2. meeting, encounternoun

   a casual or unexpected convergence

   "he still remembers their meeting in Paris"; "there was a brief encounter in the hallway"

   Synonyms:
   group meeting, confluence, face-off, showdown, merging, get together, confrontation, coming together, brush, skirmish, coming upon, clash, meeting

3. encounter, coming uponnoun

   a casual meeting with a person or thing

   Synonyms:
   confrontation, meeting, face-off, showdown, brush, skirmish, clash, coming upon

4. confrontation, encounter, showdown, face-offverb

   a hostile disagreement face-to-face

   Synonyms:
   showdown, meeting, face-off, confrontation, brush, skirmish, opposition, clash, coming upon

5. meet, run into, encounter, run across, come across, seeverb

   come together

   "I'll probably see you at the meeting"; "How nice to see you again!"

   Synonyms:
   ensure, project, hit, interpret, examine, look, experience, get word, visualise, take on, come upon, fit, assure, image, fancy, run across, go steady, fulfill, learn, fill, receive, run into, discover, light upon, escort, fall upon, contact, pick up, cope with, visit, collide with, reckon, consider, happen, suffer, come across, regard, get a line, get wind, chance on, figure, take care, match, converge, gather, control, ascertain, come over, attend, date, realize, check, meet, go out, witness, attain, strike, chance, catch, forgather, construe, find out, foregather, see, jar against, satisfy, visualize, picture, fulfil, bump into, find, conform to, knock against, go through, take in, view, chance upon, assemble, see to it, butt against, insure, bump, hear, impinge on, envision, happen upon, determine, play, watch, resonate, touch, understand, get together, realise, adjoin

6. find, happen, chance, bump, encounterverb

   come upon, as if by accident; meet with

   "We find this idea in Plato"; "I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here"; "She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day"

   Synonyms:
   line up, detect, recover, kick downstairs, find oneself, befall, take chances, get, get hold, run across, gamble, demote, fall out, find, pass off, retrieve, hazard, knock, rule, notice, meet, chance, determine, see, find out, come about, come up, play, take a chance, materialize, happen, go on, receive, feel, occur, risk, pass, incur, take place, come across, bechance, observe, run into, adventure, witness, dislodge, run a risk, ascertain, relegate, bump, take on, hap, break, regain, obtain, materialise, discover

7. run into, encounterverb

   be beset by

   "The project ran into numerous financial difficulties"

   Synonyms:
   happen, jar against, chance, bump, play, strike, take on, run into, come across, meet, knock against, impinge on, receive, collide with, hit, butt against, find, bump into, run across, see

8. meet, encounter, receiveverb

   experience as a reaction

   "My proposal met with much opposition"

   Synonyms:
   conform to, touch, take in, experience, invite, get, gather, fulfil, fulfill, adjoin, find, match, suffer, have, meet, chance, converge, fit, satisfy, receive, forgather, get together, happen, run into, cope with, fill, play, run across, incur, come across, pick up, assemble, contact, bump, take on, foregather, obtain, see, welcome

9. meet, encounter, play, take onverb

   contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle

   "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary"

   Synonyms:
   conform to, touch, playact, fiddle, bet, spiel, act, take, foregather, gather, fulfill, dally, run, adjoin, find, match, flirt, suffer, acquire, fulfil, diddle, meet, chance, converge, fit, satisfy, receive, act as, toy, assume, forgather, work, get together, make for, happen, run into, cope with, fill, play, represent, run across, take over, come across, bring, recreate, roleplay, tackle, trifle, undertake, assemble, contact, bump, take on, accept, admit, wreak, see, adopt, wager

Matched Categories

1. • Be
   • Convergence
   • Experience

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. empiricism

   at the meeting last tuesday, we heard in details from the manager the strategy for an increase in salaries.

   i'm in no doubt whatever, my allergies indeed subsided after washing my inner nostrils with my urine.

   Submitted by greenwriter60 on March 28, 2019  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. encounternoun

   Synonyms:
   meeting, rencounter, clash, collision

2. encounternoun

   Synonyms:
   attack, onset, assault

3. encounternoun

   Synonyms:
   conflict, combat, fight, contest, battle, engagement, action, skirmish, brush, affair

4. encounterverb

   Synonyms:
   meet (suddenly), meet face to face

5. encounterverb

   Synonyms:
   confront, face

6. encounterverb

   Synonyms:
   meet with, fall upon, come upon

7. encounterverb

   Synonyms:
   attack, engage with, contend against, join battle with, cope with, compete with, struggle with, strive with, fight with

8. encounterverb

   Synonyms:
   clash, skirmish, rencounter, fight, come into collision

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. encounternoun

   Synonyms:
   meeting, collision, rencounter, battle, contest, conflict, onslaught, attack

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:4.0 / 2 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "encounter":

   face, meet, confrontation, meeting, encountered, encuentro, rencontre

How to pronounce encounter?

How to say encounter in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use encounter in a sentence?

1. Meg Schurr:

   My pregnancy couldn't have been more unplanned or unwanted -- it resulted from an encounter that I didn't want to have and asked to stop.

2. Minister Sudirman Said:

   He emphasised that there should be a thorough review while the deadline is still a long way off, so that we don't encounter obstacles when we're already halfway.

3. Steve Reams:

   My biggest fear for the law is violating someone's constitutional rights and the potential for placing my deputies in a situation for an encounter with an armed individual.

4. Tracie Hall:

   It is so important to provide access to a free range of reading to young people to help them actually problem solve before they encounter the problem in real life.

5. Albert Camus:

   Those who weep for the happy periods which they encounter in history acknowledge what they want; not the alleviation but the silencing of misery.