encountered

verb

past tense of encounter
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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of encountered Kaplan described the engineers his team encountered there as among the most skilled in the world at managing AI agents. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 3 July 2026 The roommate also reported an exchange that suggested her rapist may have encountered Sebold in the past. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 On a remote Maine logging road, a couple out for a day of fishing unexpectedly encountered a black bear chasing a frantic moose calf toward their truck. — Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 Some fans believe the 2016 event, which both Swift and her ex-boyfriend, the actor Joe Alwyn attended, is where the couple might have first encountered one another. — Lily Boyce, New York Times, 2 July 2026 One Maryland family of five was left paying $13,000 out of pocket after their dogs encountered a rabid raccoon, 12 on Your Side reports. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 State police are asking anybody who may have encountered Truelove or the vehicle to contact state police Troop F at (870) 226-3713. — Arkansas Online, 30 June 2026 Elsewhere, drivers encountered a very different kind of mess when a tractor-trailer hauling 40,000 pounds of extra-firm tofu crashed off a highway into a ravine in Missouri in March, The New York Times reported. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 June 2026 Boeing, however, has just one astronaut flight under its belt — CFT, which launched in June 2024 and encountered multiple problems, resulting in NASA having to bring the two astronauts back home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule instead of Starliner. — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountered
  1. met
  2. found
  3. faced
  4. confronted
  5. caught
  6. greeted
Verb
  • The grand jury met in Oakland on July 2, according to the documents, which were signed by a federal prosecutor.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • Crutsinger was released from the hospital Thursday and was met by friends, family and members of the Ponder ISD community.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2026
Definition of met
Verb
  • America, whose Constitution was formulated by white men, struggled to live up to its founding ideals in the days of slavery and displacement of Native Americans.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Dioz was co-founded by Johnny, 44, and his brother Tony in 2006.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of found
Verb
  • The governor faced mass backlash from activists across the country for his office's statement.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • Despite the widespread support in the Assembly, the bill faced a wide array of opposition that included trade groups for large social media companies, organizations that support young people and advocates for digital privacy.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of faced
Verb
  • Once inside, she’s confronted by Tommy (James Eddie), who stupidly grabs her to escort her out.
    — William Earl, Variety, 2 July 2026
  • In September 2025, Kiara Jenkins was preparing to leave for a trip to Atlanta with friends when Eddie Jenkins showed up at her home dressed all in black with his hood up and confronted her about the trip, prosecutors said.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of confronted
Verb
  • While once exclusive to skateboarders for their ease of movement, thanks to a crop of particular designers’ spring/summer 2026 collections—from Dries Van Noten, to Khaite and TWP—they’ve caught the eye of the fashion set, too.
    — Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 2 July 2026
  • The circular logic of it would be darkly comic if tens of thousands of livelihoods weren't caught in the middle.
    — Jemma Green, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of caught
Verb
  • Mary Ellen Brown, 68, stood in the back of the chapel and greeted those who walked inside, toward their usual pews, while Emily Lyons, almost 90, maneuvered her walker through the worn wooden doors.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • After years of drought at home, Dust Bowl refugees from Oklahoma and Texas came to California looking for work, but were often greeted by angry locals.
    — Steve Appleford, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2026
Definition of greeted

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encountered
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Cite this Entry

“Encountered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountered. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of encountered for Spanish Speakers

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