- a meeting, especially one that is sudden, unexpected or violent
- a chance encounter
- encounter with somebody/something Three of them were killed in the subsequent encounter with the police.
- Flaubert was her first encounter with French literature.
- encounter between A and B The story describes the extraordinary encounter between a man and a dolphin.
- I've had a number of close encounters (= situations that could have been dangerous) with bad drivers.
- It was his first sexual encounter (= first experience of sex).
Extra Examples- He decided not to risk a second close encounter with the snakes.
- She did not see him again, except for a brief encounter on a train.
- I had my first encounter with him two years ago.
- The whole thing was the result of a chance encounter in 1975.
- It was a chance encounter that led to the setting up of the new political party.
- A chance encounter with a former acquaintance presents him with an opportunity to make some money.
- The press conference was her first direct encounter with the media.
- examination of UFO sightings and alien encounters
- her early encounters with contemporary art
- my first encounter with my new boss
- the language we use in everyday social encounters
- violent encounters between police and protesters
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- brief
- first
- initial
- …
- have
- survive
- win
- …
- occur
- take place
- result in something
- …
- encounter between
- encounter with
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- a sports match against a particular player or team
- She has beaten her opponent in all of their previous encounters.
- They lost their second-round encounter against Germany.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- brief
- first
- initial
- …
- have
- survive
- win
- …
- occur
- take place
- result in something
- …
- encounter between
- encounter with
- (Indian English) an incident in which police shoot dead a suspected criminal
- The two gangsters were later killed in a police encounter.
Word OriginMiddle 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’.
Check pronunciation:
encounter