Definitions for encounter
ɛnˈkaʊn təren·counter

Princeton's WordNet(2.80 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. brush, clash, encounter, skirmishnoun

   a minor short-term fight

2. meeting, encounternoun

   a casual or unexpected convergence

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

3. encounter, coming uponnoun

   a casual meeting with a person or thing

4. confrontation, encounter, showdown, face-offverb

   a hostile disagreement face-to-face

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!"

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"

7. run into, encounterverb

   be beset by

   "The project ran into numerous financial difficulties"

8. meet, encounter, receiveverb

   experience as a reaction

   "My proposal met with much opposition"

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"

Wiktionary(2.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. encounternoun

   An unplanned or unexpected meeting.

   Their encounter was a matter of chance

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

2. encounternoun

   A hostile meeting; a confrontation or skirmish.

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

3. encounternoun

   A sudden, often violent clash, as between combattants

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

4. encounternoun

   A match between two opposing sides

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

5. encounterverb

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

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

6. encounterverb

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

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

7. encounterverb

   To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.

   Etymology: Recorded since 1297, encountrer, encontrer, from encontre, from incontra itself from in- + contra.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Encounteradverb

   to come against face to face; to meet; to confront, either by chance, suddenly, or deliberately; especially, to meet in opposition or with hostile intent; to engage in conflict with; to oppose; to struggle with; as, to encounter a friend in traveling; two armies encounter each other; to encounter obstacles or difficulties, to encounter strong evidence of a truth

   Etymology: [OF. encontrer; pref. en- (L. in) + contre against, L. contra. See Counter, adv.]

2. Encounterverb

   to meet face to face; to have a meeting; to meet, esp. as enemies; to engage in combat; to fight; as, three armies encountered at Waterloo

   Etymology: [OF. encontrer; pref. en- (L. in) + contre against, L. contra. See Counter, adv.]

3. Encounterverb

   a meeting face to face; a running against; a sudden or incidental meeting; an interview

   Etymology: [OF. encontrer; pref. en- (L. in) + contre against, L. contra. See Counter, adv.]

4. Encounterverb

   a meeting, with hostile purpose; hence, a combat; a battle; as, a bloody encounter

   Etymology: [OF. encontrer; pref. en- (L. in) + contre against, L. contra. See Counter, adv.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Encounter

   Encounter was a literary magazine, founded in 1953 by poet Stephen Spender and early neoconservative author Irving Kristol. The magazine ceased publication in 1991. Published in the United Kingdom, it was a largely Anglo-American intellectual and cultural journal. The magazine received covert funding from the Central Intelligence Agency, after the CIA and MI6 discussed the founding of an "Anglo-American left-of-centre publication" intended to counter the idea of cold war neutralism. The magazine was rarely critical of American foreign policy, but beyond this editors had considerable publishing freedom. Spender served as literary editor until 1967, when he resigned due to the revelation that year of the covert Central Intelligence Agency funding of the magazine, of which he had heard rumors, but had not been able to confirm. Thomas W. Braden, who headed the CIA's International Organizations Division's operations between 1951 to 1954, said that the money for the magazine "came from CIA, and few outside the CIA knew about it. We had placed one agent in a Europe-based organization of intellectuals called the Congress for Cultural Freedom." Frank Kermode replaced him but he too resigned when it became clear the CIA were involved. Roy Jenkins noted that earlier contributors were aware of U.S. funding, but believed it came from philanthropists including a Cincinnati gin distiller.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Encounter

   en-kown′ter, v.t. to meet face to face, esp. unexpectedly: to meet in contest: to oppose.—n. a meeting unexpectedly: an interview: a fight: (Shak.) behaviour. [O. Fr. encontrer—L. in, in, contra, against.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. encounter

   The hostile meeting of two ships or squadrons; also, a conflict between troops.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. encounter

   A meeting with hostile purpose; hence, a combat; a battle.

2. encounter

   To come against face to face; to engage in conflict with; to oppose; as, two armies encounter each other.

Matched Categories

1. • Be
   • Convergence
   • Experience

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'encounter' in Nouns Frequency: #2317

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'encounter' in Verbs Frequency: #596

How to pronounce encounter?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say encounter in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of encounter in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of encounter in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of encounter in a Sentence

1. Ingrid Weir:

   The more obstacles you encounter, the harder you must fight to meet your destiny. Never let adversity win. Never give up on yourself and the good you can bring to the world.

2. Rodney Reese:

   Just a simple encounter. A simple encounter. That’s why I tried to dodge it, so I could make it home, I don’t know.

3. Janvier Chouteu-Chando:

   True heroes and ideas never fall in the final sense of the word. They can only encounter temporary setbacks in their difficult journey to progress and success.”

4. Emeasoba George:

   In the process of pursuing your dreams, visions or aspirations you are most likely to encounter failures or challenges, which you may misconcept them to be stumbling blocks. But listen up, you shouldn't misconcept any failure or challenge. I mean, don't see any failure or challenge as a stumbling block. For, no failure or challenge is meant to be a stumbling block to you. Rather, every failure or challenge is meant to serve as a stepping stone towards the realization or actualization of every dream, vision or aspiration. ~Emeasoba George

5. Bob Kroll:

   This event should have been a peaceful encounter. It was the actions and choices only of Mr. Clark alone that determined its outcome, the officers’ actions are going to prove to be justified.

Images & Illustrations of encounter

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