This is the 4304th most frequent Japanese word.
出くわす
To encounter or come across unexpectedly.
Here, '出くわす' is used to express accidentally encountering someone in a casual and unexpected manner.
駅で昔の友人に出くわした。
I bumped into an old friend at the station.
In this sentence, '出くわす' conveys an unplanned meeting or sighting of an event or thing during an activity.
散歩中に珍しい鳥に出くわした。
While walking, I came across a rare bird.
This example shows '出くわす' being used for unexpectedly encountering objects or items, not limited to living beings.