1. Come upon, as if by accident; meet with
   "We encounter this idea in Plato";
   - find, happen, chance, bump
    
2. Accidentally be in the same place and interact with (someone)
   "How nice to encounter you again!";
   - meet, run into, run across, come across, see, bump into
    
3. Contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
   "Princeton encounters Yale this weekend";
   - meet, play, take on
    
4. Be beset by
   "The project encountered numerous financial difficulties";
   - run into
    
5. Experience as a reaction
   "He encountered strong opposition to his proposal";
   - meet, receive

1. A minor short-term fight
   "They had a brief encounter with the enemy patrol";
   - brush, clash, skirmish
    
2. A casual meeting with a person or thing
   "Their chance encounter at the cafe led to a lasting friendship";
   - coming upon
    
3. A casual or unexpected convergence
   "there was a brief encounter in the hallway";
   - meeting
    
4. A hostile disagreement face-to-face
   "The two rivals had an encounter in the boardroom over the company's future direction";
   - confrontation, showdown, face-off, smackdown [N. Amer, informal]

Derived forms: encounters, encountering, encountered

Type of: act, combat, compete, connection, connexion [Brit], contend, convergence, disagreement, experience, fight, fighting, have, joining, move, scrap, undergo, vie

Encyclopedia: Encounter