Definition of "encounter" []

• A meeting, especially one that is unplanned, unexpected, or brief: a chance encounter in the park. (noun)
• A hostile or adversarial confrontation; a contest: a tense naval encounter. (noun)
• An often violent meeting; a clash. (noun)
• To meet, especially unexpectedly; come upon: encountered an old friend on the street. (verb-transitive)
• To confront in battle or contention. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Last weekend's outing to Tate Modern succeeded in convincing me that the excitement of the encounter is an important part of today's visit to the museum."
• "While the relegation of tonight's scheduled bout from a title encounter to a non-title affair has to be a disappointment to Sonnen, the fact is that Zuffa (the parent company of both the UFC and the WEC) officials had previously announced that it would be discontinuing the WEC's 185 pound and 205 pound divisions following Dec. 3's"
• "If the purpose of a police encounter is “driving while brown” or “working while brown” or “walking while brown” there is a real problem."