- a casual meeting with a person of thing

- a minor short-term fight

- a hostile disagreement face-to-face

- a casual or unexpected convergence
"he still remembers their meeting in Paris"
"there was a brief encounter in the hallway"

- contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle
"Princeton plays Yale this weekend"
"Charlie likes to play Mary"

- come together
"I''ll probably see you at the meeting"
"How nice to see you again!"

- 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"

- be beset by
"The project ran into numerous financial difficulties"

- experience as a reaction
"My proposal met with much opposition"

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. A meeting face to face; a running against; a sudden or incidental meeting; an interview.

"To shun the encounter of the vulgar crowd." -- Pope.

2. A meeting, with hostile purpose; hence, a combat; a battle; as, a bloody encounter.

"As one for . . . fierce encounters fit" --. Spenser.

"To join their dark encounter in mid- air" --. Milton.

Syn. -- Contest; conflict; fight; combat; assault; rencounter; attack; engagement; onset. See Contest.