to come upon or meet with, esp. unexpectedly: to encounter a new situation.
2.
to meet with or contend against (difficulties, opposition, etc.): We encounter so many problems in our work.
3.
to meet (a person, military force, etc.) in conflict: We will encounter the enemy at dawn.
–verb (used without object)
4.
to meet, esp. unexpectedly or in conflict: We were angry when we encountered, but we parted with smiles.
–noun
5.
a meeting with a person or thing, esp. a casual, unexpected, or brief meeting: Our running into each other was merely a chance encounter.
6.
a meeting of persons or groups that are in conflict or opposition; combat; battle: Another such encounter and we may lose the war.
7.
Psychology. a meeting of two or more people, as the members of an encounter group or a number of married couples (marriage encounter), conducted to promote direct emotional confrontations among the participants, esp. as a form of therapy (encounter therapy).
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME encountren < AF enco(u)ntrer; OF < VL *incontrāre, equiv. to in-in-1+ -contrāre, deriv. of contrā against; see counter3]
A meeting, especially one that is unplanned, unexpected, or brief: a chance encounter in the park.
A hostile or adversarial confrontation; a contest: a tense naval encounter.
An often violent meeting; a clash.
v.
en·coun·tered, en·coun·ter·ing, en·coun·ters
v.
tr.
To meet, especially unexpectedly; come upon: encountered an old friend on the street.
To confront in battle or contention.
To come up against: encounter numerous obstacles.
v.
intr.
To meet, especially unexpectedly.
[Middle English encountre, from Old French, from encontrer, to meet, from Late Latin incontrāre : Latin in-, in; see en-1 + Latin contrā, against; see kom in Indo-European roots.]
1297, "meeting of adversaries," from O.Fr. encountrer "confront," from encontre (prep. and adv.) "against, counter to," from L.L. incontra "in front of," from L. in- "in" + contra "against." Weakened sense of "casually meet" first recorded in Eng. 1520.
a casual or unexpected convergence; "he still remembers their meeting in Paris"; "there was a brief encounter in the hallway" [syn: meeting]
3.
a casual meeting with a person or thing
4.
a hostile disagreement face-to-face [syn: confrontation]
verb
1.
come together; "I'll probably see you at the meeting"; "How nice to see you again!" [syn: meet]
2.
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" [syn: find]
3.
be beset by; "The project ran into numerous financial difficulties" [syn: run into]
4.
experience as a reaction; "My proposal met with much opposition" [syn: meet]
5.
contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary" [syn: meet]
Con"test\, n. 1. Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation. Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language. --I. Watts. 2. Earnest struggle for superiority, victory, defense, etc.; competition; emulation; strife in arms; conflict; combat; encounter. The late battle had, in effect, been a contest between one usurper and another. --Hallam. It was fully expected that the contest there would be long and fierce. --Macaulay. Syn: Conflict; combat; battle; encounter; shock; struggle; dispute; altercation; debate; controvesy; difference; disagreement; strife. Usage: Contest, Conflict, Combat, Encounter. Contest is the broadest term, and had originally no reference to actual fighting. It was, on the contrary, a legal term signifying to call witnesses, and hence came to denote first a struggle in argument, and then a struggle for some common object between opposing parties, usually one of considerable duration, and implying successive stages or acts. Conflict denotes literally a close personal engagement, in which sense it is applied to actual fighting. It is, however, more commonly used in a figurative sense to denote strenuous or direct opposition; as, a mental conflict; conflicting interests or passions; a conflict of laws. An encounter is a direct meeting face to face. Usually it is a hostile meeting, and is then very nearly coincident with conflict; as, an encounter of opposing hosts. Sometimes it is used in a looser sense; as, "this keen encounter of our wits." --Shak. Combat is commonly applied to actual fighting, but may be used figuratively in reference to a strife or words or a struggle of feeling.
En*coun"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Encountered; p. pr. & vb. n. Encountering.] [OF. encontrer; pref. en- (L. in) + contre against, L. contra. See Counter, adv.] 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. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. --Acts xvii. 18. I am most fortunate thus accidentally to encounter you. --Shak.
En*coun"ter\, v. i. 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. I will encounter with Andronicus. --Shak. Perception and judgment, employed in the investigation of all truth, have in the first place to encounter with particulars. --Tatham.
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