4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Encounter  \En*coun"ter\,  v.  i. 
  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. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Encounter  \En*coun"ter\,  n.  [OF.  encontre  fr  encontrer  See 
  {Encounter},  v.  t.] 
  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}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Encounter  \En*coun"ter\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Encountered};  p. 
  pr  &  vb  n.  {Encountering}.]  [OF.  encontrer  pref.  en-  (L. 
  in)  +  contre  against,  L.  contra.  See  {Counter},  adv.] 
  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. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  encounter 
  n  1:  a  minor  short-term  fight  [syn:  {brush},  {clash},  {skirmish}] 
  2:  a  casual  or  unexpected  convergence;  "he  still  remembers 
  their  meeting  in  Paris";  "there  was  a  brief  encounter  in 
  the  hallway"  [syn:  {meeting}] 
  3:  a  casual  meeting  with  a  person  of  thing  [syn:  {coming  upon}] 
  4:  a  hostile  disagreement  face-to-face  [syn:  {confrontation},  {showdown}] 
  v  1:  meet  "I'll  probably  see  you  at  the  meeting";  "How  nice  to 
  see  you  again!"  [syn:  {meet},  {ran  into},  {forgather},  {foregather}, 
  {run  across},  {come  across},  {see}] 
  2:  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"  [syn:  {find},  {happen},  {chance}, 
  {hit},  {bump}] 
  3:  be  beset  by  "The  project  ran  into  numerous  financial 
  difficulties"  [syn:  {run  into}] 
  4:  experience  as  a  reaction;  "My  proposal  met  with  much 
  opposition"  [syn:  {meet},  {receive}] 
  5:  contend  against  an  opponent  in  a  sport,  game,  or  battle; 
  "Princeton  plays  Yale  this  weekend";  "Charlie  likes  to 
  play  Mary"  [syn:  {meet},  {play},  {take  on}] 

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