Meaning of encounter in English

Table of contents

Verb
encounter
Etymology
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’
Definitions
1. come together
Examples
- « I'll probably see you at the meeting »
- « How nice to see you again! »
Derived terms
- coming upon
- meeting
2. come upon, as if by accident
Examples
- « 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 »
Derived terms
3. be beset by
Examples
- « The project ran into numerous financial difficulties »
4. experience as a reaction
Examples
- « My proposal met with much opposition »
5. contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
Examples
- « Princeton plays Yale this weekend »
- « Charlie likes to play Mary »
Derived terms
Noun
encounter
Definitions
1. a minor short-term fight
Derived terms
2. a casual or unexpected convergence
Examples
- « he still remembers their meeting in Paris »
- « there was a brief encounter in the hallway »
Derived terms
3. a casual meeting with a person of thing
Derived terms
4. a hostile disagreement face-to-face
Derived terms
- confront

Famous quotes

« In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. »
Albert Schweitzer
« In Canada, women's rights are a vital part of our effort to build a society of real equality - not just for some, but for all Canadians. A society in which women no longer encounter discrimination nor are shut out from opportunities open to others. »
Paul Martin
« I feel that the Christian experience and the Jewish one have much to give each other. If this open society continues and there is no return to political anti-Semitism, then this encounter, deeper than any theology, may happen. »
Lionel Blue
« Those who weep for the happy periods which they encounter in history acknowledge what they want not the alleviation but the silencing of misery. »
Albert Camus
« The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal. »
David Brin