/ ɪnˈkaʊntə(r); NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to experience sth, especially sth unpleasant or difficult, while you are trying to do sth else
SYN meet with , run into :
We encountered a number of difficulties in the first week.
I had never encountered such resistance before.
2.
( formal ) to meet sb, or discover or experience sth, especially sb/sth new, unusual or unexpected
SYN come across :
She was the most remarkable woman he had ever encountered.
■ noun
1.
encounter (with sb/sth) | encounter (between A and B) a meeting, especially one that is sudden, unexpected or violent :
Three of them were killed in the subsequent encounter with the police.
The story describes the extraordinary encounter between a man and a dolphin.
a chance encounter
I've had a number of close encounters (= situations that could have been dangerous) with bad drivers.
It was his first sexual encounter (= first experience of sex).
2.
a sports match against a particular player or team :
She has beaten her opponent in all of their previous encounters.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the senses meet as an adversary and a meeting of adversaries ; formerly also as incounter ): from Old French encontrer (verb), encontre (noun), based on Latin in- in + contra against.