1
as in met
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in found
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 faced
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encountered
When living in Iowa, Mercer and his wife encountered those headwinds after trying to find child care for their young son.
—
David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
The two roommates who were spared — Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke — encountered the gory scene the next morning.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, two hikers walking along the trail encountered the mountain lion next to Kovatch’s body.
—Outside, 6 Jan. 2026
Arriving officers encountered a suicidal man on the top ledge of the garage.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 6 Jan. 2026
The incident comes less than five months after the same attraction encountered the same issue in August.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
The face scan is launching as attorneys general around the country are investigating Roblox, and there are at nearly 80 active lawsuits against the company, with some parents alleging their children encountered predators on the app.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026
Walz, who ran as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee in the 2024 election, has encountered lower approval ratings over the past month as criticism continues to mount amid investigations that state welfare agencies were widely targeted by fraud.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
Their struggle has been compounded by statements from the Republican president and some GOP lawmakers in Congress minimizing the violence that the officers encountered.
—Mary Clare Jalonick, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountered
Verb
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Shouts for it will be met by angry fingers jutted towards the various gaffes played ad nauseam on Sky Sports’ weekly Ref Watch, or the mandatory pause before the emotional unleashing as VAR mulls over whether a goal is a goal or just a hoax.—
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Uncensored, that Fergie met the man, Steve Wyatt, a millionaire entrepreneur from Texas, at the Houston Grand Opera’s British Opera Festival in 1989 and started an extramarital relationship with him soon after.—
Verb
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However, former Federal Air Marshal Peter Johnson — who founded Archway Defense, which has trained state, local and federal law enforcement in firearms for the past decade — told WCCO the street is not the place to challenge a federal agent's orders.—
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The OpenSnow reporting and forecasting service is predicting four to eight additional inches at many resorts between Wednesday evening and Friday morning, although founding meteorologist Joel Gratz acknowledged that the weather models for this system have been a bit confounding.—
Verb
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However, even after the peace proposal, Israeli sports teams have faced opposition and exclusion.—
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The agency has also faced criticism for aggressive tactics used by ICE agents in executing the president’s immigration policy.—
Verb
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Bethell has already faced more balls in this single innings than Ben Duckett has confronted through the entire series, and eclipsed the total runs scored by Ollie Pope, the man preferred ahead of him until Melbourne, across three matches in this knock alone.—
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The employee confronted the two suspects, and a struggle ensued, leading to the shooting, Olson said.—
Verb
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Secure loose outdoor items and adjust plans as necessary so you're not caught outside.—
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Boasting over 1,300 five-star ratings, this foldable cushion caught my attention because it can be used for lower back pain, too.—
Verb
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Hemphill was greeted Tuesday in the Capitol by Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was speaker of the House when the attack occurred.—
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Facial recognition all about stopping misconduct, Wegmans says Shoppers at the Wegmans at Broadway and 8th Street are greeted not just by the produce section, but by a new sign warning the store is scanning customers' faces and storing information.—
Cite this Entry
“Encountered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountered. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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