skirmish vs encounter

skirmish and encounter both are nouns.

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

As nouns, skirmish and encounter are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of skirmish include brush, clash.

skirmish (noun)	encounter (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

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