meat

[ meet ]

/ mit /

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noun

the flesh of animals as used for food: in particular, mammals, especially livestock and game, and often including poultry and game birds.See also flesh (def. 1), muscle meat.

the edible part of anything, as a fruit or nut: Crack the walnuts and remove the meats.

the essential point or part of an argument, literary work, etc.; gist; crux: The meat of the play is the jealousy between the two brothers.

solid food: meat and drink.

solid or substantial content; pith: The article was full of meat, with few wasted words.

a favorite occupation, activity, etc.: Chess is his meat.

Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. pork, especially bacon.

Slang: Vulgar. penis.

Archaic. the principal meal: to say grace before meat.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about meat

piece of meat, Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

a person regarded merely as a sex object: Years after winning a beauty pageant, she denounced the competition, saying she’d been crowned the judges’ favorite piece of meat.
a person, as a prizefighter or laborer, regarded merely as a strong or useful physical specimen: The trainer never apologized for referring to his boxers as pieces of meat—if you made it to the top, he’d start calling you “Kid.”

Origin of meat

First recorded before 900; Middle English mete, met, methe “food, nourishment, sustenance,” Old English mete, mett, “food,” cognate with Old High German maz, Old Norse matr, Gothic mats

OTHER WORDS FROM meat

meat·less, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH meat

meat , meet

Words nearby meat

measure zero, measuring cup, measuring jug, measuring spoon, measuringworm, meat, meat and drink to one, meat and potatoes, meat ax, meataxe, meatball

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use meat in a sentence

Indeed, data suggests many young consumers are already incorporating plant-based meats into their meals.
Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed?|Dyllan Furness|August 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
They didn’t necessarily have milk or meat or a bakery in-house.
How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Ep. 386 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|August 6, 2020|Freakonomics
Efforts to curb wild meat consumption in response to disease outbreaks can also harm local populations who rely on wild meats for proteins and decrease trust in public health, which happened in the 2015 Ebola outbreak.
To prevent the next pandemic, we might need to cut down fewer trees|Jonathan Lambert|July 23, 2020|Science News
In terms of the food supply, the FDA has detected varying levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat since monitoring began in 1996.
50 years ago, scientists first investigated antibiotic resistance in livestock|Jonathan Lambert|June 26, 2020|Science News

There, as people got more money, some of them may have more cleared land for cattle to raise for meat, Ferraro says.
How giving cash to poor families may also save trees in Indonesia|Megan Sever|June 12, 2020|Science News
The smell of grilled meat mixes with the exotic wafts of cinnamon tea served with a mush of sweet brown dessert.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Limbaugh makes comments like this because his right-wing fans require a non–stop diet of race-baiting red meat.
Rush Limbaugh’s Fear of a Black James Bond|Dean Obeidallah|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Chickens require significantly less land, water, and energy than all other meat options except farmed salmon.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In March, police arrested a group of wealthy businessmen and government officials who were about to dine on illegal tiger meat.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those raised for their meat (200 million tons of it a year) can barely walk because their breasts have been so enlarged.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sailors sometimes use it to fry their meat, for want of butter, and find it agreeable enough.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
The camp grew still, except for the rough and ready cook pottering about the fire, boiling buffalo-meat and mixing biscuit-dough.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
A few years back it was partly turned into a depot for American meat, but is now simply used for warehouses.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
You know the fable about the dog who dropped his meat in the water, trying to snap at its reflection?
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
While this was being done, Ramona would dry the beef which would be their supply of meat for many months.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for meat

meat

/ (miːt) /

noun

the flesh of mammals used as food, as distinguished from that of birds and fish

anything edible, esp flesh with the texture of meatcrab meat

food, as opposed to drink

the essence or gist

an archaic word for meal 1

meat and drink a source of pleasure

have one's meat and one's manners Irish informal to lose nothing because one's offer is not accepted

Derived forms of meat

meatless, adjective

Word Origin for meat

Old English mete; related to Old High German maz food, Old Saxon meti, Gothic mats

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with meat

meat

In addition to the idioms beginning with meat

meat and drink to one
meat and potatoes

also see:

beat the meat
one's man's meat is another man's poison

meat

Idioms about meat

Origin of meat

OTHER WORDS FROM meat

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH meat

Words nearby meat

Words related to meat

How to use meat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for meat

Derived forms of meat

Word Origin for meat

Other Idioms and Phrases with meat