Meaning & use

rencontre

noun·Advanced

Last updated

An unplanned meeting or encounter, especially one that is hostile or leads to a confrontation.

See it in a sentence

Their chance rencontre in the park led to an awkward exchange of old grievances.

The novel's plot turns on a fateful rencontre between the two rivals.

A note on using this word

Borrowed from French, this word appears mainly in older or literary English, including the novels of Jane Austen, and has since become quite rare.

Words with a similar meaning

encounterconfrontation

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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