encounter

• encountre (obsolete)
• incounter (archaic)
• incountre (obsolete)

From Middle English encountren, from rom Anglo-Norman encountrer, Old French encontrer (“to confront”), from encontre (“against, counter to”), from Late Latin incontrā (“in front of”) itself from Latin in (“in”) + contrā (“against”).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkaʊntɚ/, /ɪŋˈkaʊntɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkaʊntə/, /ɪŋˈkaʊntə/
• Hyphenation: en‧coun‧ter

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊntə(ɹ)

encounter (third-person singular simple present encounters, present participle encountering, simple past and past participle encountered)

1. (transitive) To meet (someone) or find (something) unexpectedly.
2. (transitive) To confront (someone or something) face to face.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.

   Three armies encountered at Waterloo.

   • Shakespeare

     I will encounter with Andronicus.

encounter (plural encounters)

1. An unplanned or unexpected meeting.

   Their encounter was a matter of chance.

   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:

     That was Selwyn's first encounter with the Ruthvens. A short time afterward at the opera Gerald dragged him into a parterre to say something amiable to one of the amiable débutante Craig girls—and Selwyn found himself again facing Alixe.

2. A hostile meeting; a confrontation or skirmish.
3. A sudden, often violent clash, as between combatants.
4. (sports) A match between two opposing sides.
   • 2011 October 29, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport:

     Andre Santos equalised and the outstanding Theo Walcott put Arsenal ahead for the first time before Juan Mata's spectacular strike set up the finale for an enthralling encounter.

• (unplanned meeting):
• (hostile meeting): clash, confrontation, brush, skirmish

• close encounter
• encounter group

• encountre