ENCOUNTERED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

encountered

verb

past tense of encounter

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

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

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

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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 Later that day, Franklin police encountered Ray at a truck stop after receiving a report of a suspicious person, Franklin police have said. — Arkansas Online, 29 Aug. 2026 The police report indicated that Lomon encountered the man near the elevators with an open knife. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The platform will be monitored over time to assess how the bamboo composite performs against fatigue, environmental exposure and other stresses encountered offshore. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 Detectives learned Oxendine, who was on duty at the time, had encountered the woman while investigating an unrelated call for service in Baltimore, per the statement. — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 These powerhouse Los Angeles institutions join a growing cohort of universities in California and nationwide responding quickly to a technology most undergraduates first encountered in chat bots or social media feeds in middle and high school. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 Deputies had encountered the suspect, Hector Nieves, about two hours before the stabbing and conducted a probation search, the Sheriff’s Office said. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Once the characters do get out in the world, the book's narrator, Ari, is just listing in a dictionary-like way what is being encountered and trying to understand it — which is sort of what fiction does, too. — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Reporters encountered zero officers during a two-and-a-half hour ride through uptown and South End last Saturday. — Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encountered

Verb

The two officials met on the sidelines of a Group of 20 finance leaders' gathering in Asheville, North Carolina.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Driscoll is an Iraq war veteran, tech investor and former adviser to Vance, whom Driscoll met at Yale Law School.

— Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of met

Verb

The company, founded in 1995, has grown through a combination of scale and acquisitions, building an operation that spans much of the food supply chain.

— Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
The trio, who founded the startup, were sued for securities fraud, common law fraud, and breach of contract.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of found

Verb

El-Sayed has taken heat from some in his party over his associations with Piker, the left-wing streamer whose comments about American Jews have faced intense criticism in recent days.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
An inquest opened Wednesday into the sudden death earlier this month of Jason Arday, a Cambridge University professor who faced a storm of plagiarism accusations.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of faced

Verb

Surveillance video from the Cedar Glenn complex showed Brunson, Newman, and another unnamed co-defendant jumping a fence, approaching a Chevrolet Suburban, and fleeing after being confronted by a witness.

— Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Pursued by monstrous entities and confronted by manifestations of human suffering, Dante and Virgil will eventually come face to face with the Devil himself.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of confronted

Verb

The 6-2 Marshall, a former second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers, hasn’t made big plays in the passing game, but has caught Slowik’s eye in another area.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Noah Tarrant caught both scoring passes, 12 and 63 yards, and finished with five catches for 106 yards.

— Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of caught

Verb

Tagovailoa on return, boos Falcons and former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was greeted with boos during Friday’s preseason game, lingered on the field afterward to embrace several former teammates and Dolphins staffers.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
He was greeted with a friendly welcome by fans, as multiple people stopped to shake his hand and take pictures with him.

— Jackson Thompson , Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of greeted

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encounter

encountered

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“Encountered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encountered. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of encountered

verb

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