encounter

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'encounter' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a meeting or chance encounter between two or more people or to describe an unexpected or difficult situation. Example sentence: During my travels I encountered many interesting people.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Travel

Books

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

I met him only after I became master of St Peter's College, Oxford, but he had a palpable gift for friendship and within minutes of our first encounter he was coming up with schemes and plots to help the college.

The Guardian

The former certainly looks like a prizefighter who has been battered senseless by a meaner, leaner opponent; the latter has endured an equally bruising encounter in the ring but has walked away bleeding badly but still standing after a 12-round points draw.

The Guardian

In Cambridgeshire, he is diabolical and sinister and those who encounter him should look the other way, since his appearance is said to warn of a death in the family.

The Guardian - Travel

Each encounter reveals what ingredients they use, which cookbooks they swear by and where they like to shop and eat.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

In fact I am sure that I never experienced, as a child, any kind of encounter with the sublime, that catch in the throat, that tightness of the lungs, that sudden, roaring sense of one's extreme smallness in a huge, awful, beautiful world.

The Guardian - Books

In such moments natural beauty becomes a kind of devastation – it is pure encounter, too compressed in time and space to be properly contained.

The Guardian - Books

The blog includes picture of him on a private jet with the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, and a detailed account of a 2010 encounter with Vladimir Putin who, he said, told him he looked like Karl Marx.

The Guardian - Sport

The one-off documentary is shot in Leech's distinctive hand-held camera style and features the first emotional encounter between the Mosque's charismatic young communications manager and a distraught sister of one of the three Bethnal Green schoolgirls who flew out to join Isis jihadists in Syria.

The Guardian

"When we meet a work of art, there's something about that encounter that isn't fixed in time, but rather, it unfixes time: the shaft opens.

The Guardian - Books

There is added spice to the encounter because if the Australians do win they are bound to head the medal table for sailing.

The Guardian - Sport

Not only was it Berger's first encounter with Wrynose and Hardknott, but it was also the first and last time he overtook someone on the stretch of road.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "encounter" to describe both planned and unplanned meetings or confrontations, but be mindful of the context to ensure the connotation is appropriate.

Common error

While "encounter" is versatile, avoid overusing it in formal academic or business writing. Vary your vocabulary with synonyms like "meet", "experience", or "confront" for a more nuanced and sophisticated tone.

Linguistic Context

The word "encounter" functions as both a transitive verb, meaning to meet someone or something unexpectedly or to face a difficulty, and as a noun, referring to an unplanned meeting or confrontation. Ludwig AI confirms the correctness and usability of the word.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Travel

15%

Books

10%

Less common in

Science

10%

Formal & Business

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "encounter" is a versatile word functioning as both a verb and a noun, commonly used to describe unplanned meetings, confrontations, or experiences. Ludwig AI confirms that its use is correct and well-established. While suitable for various contexts, be mindful of potential overuse in overly formal writing. Its prevalence across News & Media, Travel, and Book sources indicates its wide applicability and general understanding.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

come across

Emphasizes the accidental nature of finding or meeting something or someone.

run into

Implies a casual and unplanned meeting.

meet unexpectedly

Highlights the surprise element of the meeting.

a chance meeting

Highlights the unplanned nature of the meeting.

an unexpected meeting

Emphasizes the surprise aspect of the meeting.

face

Focuses on confronting a challenge or opponent.

confront

Suggests a more direct and potentially challenging meeting or situation.

experience

Broadly refers to undergoing or living through something.

undergo

Implies experiencing something, often something difficult or unpleasant.

engage with

Focuses on interacting or dealing with something actively.

FAQs

How can I use "encounter" in a sentence?

You can use "encounter" to describe meeting someone unexpectedly, as in, "I "encountered" an old friend at the store", or to describe facing a difficult situation, such as, "The company "encountered" financial difficulties".

What can I say instead of "encounter"?

You can use alternatives like "come across", "run into", or "meet unexpectedly" depending on the context.

What's the difference between "encounter" and "meet"?

"Meet" generally implies a planned or arranged meeting, while "encounter" often suggests an unplanned or unexpected meeting. However, "meet" is more commonly used in every-day spoken English.

Is it correct to say "I encountered a problem"?

Yes, it's perfectly correct. Using ""encountered"" in this context suggests that you came across the problem unexpectedly or faced it as a challenge.