encounter vs skirmish

encounter and skirmish both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
encounter	Yes	No	Yes	No
skirmish	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, encounter and skirmish are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of encounter include brush, clash.

encounter (noun)	skirmish (noun)
a minor short-term fight	a minor short-term fight
a casual meeting with a person or thing
a hostile disagreement face-to-face
a casual or unexpected convergence

encounter (verb)	skirmish (verb)
contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle	engage in a skirmish
come together
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
be beset by
experience as a reaction