Meaning & use
encountered
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“encountered” is a form of “encounter”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Met or came across a person, animal or thing, often without planning to.
Grammar: Past tense of encounter, followed by an object: we encountered a bear.
Patterns
- encounter someone
- encounter something on the way
We encountered a family of deer on the hiking trail.
She had never encountered such rude customers before.
The explorers encountered a village deep in the jungle.
verbtransitiveformal
Experienced a difficulty, danger or unexpected situation while doing something.
Grammar: Usually takes problems or obstacles as its object.
Patterns
- encounter difficulties
- encounter resistance
The team encountered heavy traffic on the way to the airport.
Several users encountered errors during the update.
The plan encountered strong opposition from local residents.
Word forms
| present | encounter |
|---|---|
| third person singular | encounters |
| -ing form | encountering |
Common combinations
- encountered difficulties
- The company encountered difficulties in the first year.
- encountered resistance
- The proposal encountered resistance from teachers.
- first encountered
- I first encountered the book in high school.
- encountered a problem
- I encountered a problem while installing the program.
- rarely encountered
- This species is rarely encountered in the wild.
Synonyms and how they differ
- met
- Met is simpler and used mostly for people, while encountered also suits animals, problems and ideas.
- came across
- Came across is informal and stresses a lucky or unplanned discovery.
- faced
- Faced stresses having to deal with something difficult, while encountered only says it was met.
- experienced
- Experienced means lived through something, so it covers feelings, whereas encountered is about meeting an obstacle or person.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: encountered or countered?
encountered vs countered
Countered means answered or opposed something. It is not the same as encountered, which means met or experienced.
Practice
The hikers ____ a fallen tree blocking the path and had to turn back.
Choose one answer.
Encountered means came across something. Countered means opposed, and insisted and avoided do not fit with a fallen tree as the object in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “encountered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.