Encounter
Encounter verb - To enter into contest or conflict with.
Usage example: the troops encountered bands of guerrilla fighters as they made their way across the desert
Rival and encounter are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Rival" instead a verb "Encounter".
Nearby Words: encountered, encountering
How words are described
| specific | specific encounter | specific rival |
| direct | direct encounter | direct rival |
| future | future encounter | future rival |
| original | original encounter | original rival |
| Other adjectives: initial, romantic, actual, real, dangerous, bad, potential, personal, new, major, possible, mysterious, last, one-time, aforementioned. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Lily instead ended up with his archnemesis and rival, James Potter, whom had taken down his ego since their last encounter.
Source: Unrequited Love Lasts Forever - Another prime example specifically from Pokémon Red and Blue/Yellow is the rival's (Blue's) encounter theme, which plays whenever he comes on-screen and talks, usually challenging you to a match.
Source: Leitmotif / Video Games - In Season 3, during their travels, Matrix and AndrAIa encounter Ray, who the former instantly pegs as a rival for her affections.
Cite this Source
Rival and Encounter. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/encounter/rival
Encounter & Rival. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/encounter/rival>.
Rival or Encounter. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/encounter/rival.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "encounter" and "rival" have occurred on timeline