"encounter" means: To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
encounter
(transitive) To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.
Seen in the wild
10 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
😱 Tiger in Dehiwala Zoo – Close Encounter in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰🐅 #Tiger #DehiwalaZoo #SriLankaZoo #TigerEncounter #WildlifeSriLanka #BigCat #CloseEncounter #AnimalKingdom #ZooLife #SriLankaWildlife #ColomboZoo #NatureV…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Welcome to Turkish-Greek maritime overthinking brain. You'll encounter Champa-era maritime maps truthers in no time.
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BlueskyMay 2026
poor jade had a ticklish encounter with a cheeky mewmander 🩷(also first full view of jade's new look!!!) c0mm for lechensko🩷 #furry #furryart #pokemon #tickling #leafywolfart
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BlueskyMay 2026
Such a blabbering dolt should never be in the presence of children. At least it was a supervised encounter. Trump is a pedo.
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BlueskyMay 2026
They don't do well when they come out of the Fantasy Room and encounter real people and non-toadies: good for RR.
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Definitions
#1·Apr 27, 2026
(transitive) To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.
Origin: From , from , , from encontre, from itself from + contrā. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"encounter" means: To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"encounter" means: To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“😱 Tiger in Dehiwala Zoo – Close Encounter in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰🐅 #Tiger #DehiwalaZoo #SriLankaZoo #TigerEncounter #WildlifeSriLanka #BigCat #CloseEncounter #AnimalKingdom #ZooLife #SriLankaWildlife #ColomboZoo #NatureVibes #SafariExperience #WildlifePhotography #VisitSriLanka”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Welcome to Turkish-Greek maritime overthinking brain. You'll encounter Champa-era maritime maps truthers in no time.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“They don't do well when they come out of the Fantasy Room and encounter real people and non-toadies: good for RR.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Southeast Division, Beat: 337, DAEF-Dist Armed Encounter Foot at 2XX BLOCK BRIDGES ST reported on 5/5/2026, 2:11 AM CDT, Incident# 26-0843827 #dpdi-div-se #dpdi-beat-337”
— Bluesky· May 2026“LFG!!! Managed to snag myself a shiny Eevee from a random encounter in Pokemon Go yesterday. great to add to the Pokemon Home Pokédex and Pokemon collection as working towards completion rewards.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(intransitive, rare) To meet one another.
Heard in the wild
“poor jade had a ticklish encounter with a cheeky mewmander 🩷(also first full view of jade's new look!!!) c0mm for lechensko🩷 #furry #furryart #pokemon #tickling #leafywolfart”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Such a blabbering dolt should never be in the presence of children. At least it was a supervised encounter. Trump is a pedo.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🎧 http://mpgradio.com/mr | encounter the world of Metal enjoy the riff | ♫ Divine Martyr - Beyond”
— Bluesky· May 2026“"The Church’s mission is not a matter of abstractly proclaiming and deductively applying principles that are set out in an immutable and rigid manner, but of fostering a living encounter with the person of the risen Lord Jesus;" the study group quotes Augustine:”
— Bluesky· May 2026“This is my capture from the penultimate combat encounter in the game. This is gameplay from the finale. This is a boss encounter. This is the second to last boss encounter in the entire game.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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#3·Apr 27, 2026
(transitive) To confront (someone or something) face to face.
Three armies encountered at Waterloo.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "encounter" (E)
enamelingenamellingenbyenbyfriendencasseroleencikendendgateend of terraceend-of-the-pierendorsationendorse
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