meet
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to come upon; come into the presence of; encounter.
I would meet him on the street at unexpected moments.
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to become acquainted with; be introduced to.
I've never met your cousin.
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to join at an agreed or designated place or time.
Meet me in St. Louis.
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to be present at the arrival of.
to meet a train.
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to come to or before (one's notice, or a means of noticing, as the eyes or ears).
A peculiar sight met my eyes.
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to come into the company of (a person, group, etc.) in dealings, conference, etc.
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to face, eye, etc., directly or without avoidance.
- Synonyms:
- confront
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to come into physical contact, juxtaposition, or collision with.
The two cars met each other head-on at high speed.
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to encounter in opposition, conflict, or contest.
Harvard meets Yale next week in football.
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to oppose.
to meet charges with countercharges.
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to cope or deal effectively with (an objection, difficulty, etc.).
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to comply with; fulfill; answer.
to meet a deadline;
to meet a demand.
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to pay in full.
How will you meet expenses?
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to come into conformity with (wishes, expectations, views, etc.).
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to encounter in experience.
to meet hostility.
verb (used without object)
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to come together, face to face, or into company.
We met on the street.
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to assemble for action, conference, or other common purpose, as a committee, legislature, or class.
The board of directors will meet on Tuesday.
- Synonyms:
- collect
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to become personally acquainted.
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to come into contact or form a junction, as lines, planes, or areas.
The two lines meet to form an angle.
- Antonyms:
- diverge
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to be conjoined or united.
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to concur or agree.
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to come together in opposition or conflict, as adversaries or hostile forces.
noun
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an assembly, as of persons and hounds for a hunt or swimmers or runners for a race or series of races.
a track meet.
- Synonyms:
- competition, contest
-
those assembled.
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the place of such an assembling.
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Mathematics. intersection.
verb phrase
idioms
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meet halfway,
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to concede in part, as to the demands of an opposing faction; make concessions, as to another person; compromise.
Despite their differences, the union and the company finally agreed to meet halfway and settle their dispute.
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to anticipate another's actions and conduct oneself accordingly.
-
-
well met, welcome.
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meet cute, cute.
adjective
verb
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to come together (with), either by design or by accident; encounter
I met him unexpectedly
we met at the station
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to come into or be in conjunction or contact with (something or each other)
the roads meet in the town
the sea meets the sky
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(tr) to come to or be at the place of arrival of
to meet a train
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to make the acquaintance of or be introduced to (someone or each other)
have you two met?
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to gather in the company of (someone or each other)
the board of directors meets on Tuesday
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to come into the presence of (someone or each other) as opponents
Joe meets Fred in the boxing match
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(tr) to cope with effectively; satisfy
to meet someone's demands
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(tr) to be apparent to (esp in the phrase meet the eye )
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(tr) to return or counter
to meet a blow with another
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to agree with (someone or each other)
we met him on the price he suggested
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to experience; suffer
he met his death in a road accident
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to occur together
courage and kindliness met in him
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(tr) to find (a person, situation, etc) in a specified condition
I met the door open
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(of a celebrity, politician, etc) to have a session of being introduced to and questioned by members of the public or journalists
noun
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the assembly of hounds, huntsmen, etc, prior to a hunt
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a meeting, esp a sports meeting
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the place where the paths of two railway trains meet or cross
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a session where a celebrity, etc, is introduced to or questioned by members of the public or journalists
adjective
Other Word Forms
- meeter noun
- meetly adverb
- meetness noun
Etymology
Origin of meet1
First recorded before 900; Middle English mete(n), miete(n), Old English (ge)mētan; cognate with Old Norse mœta, Old Saxon mōtian; moot
Origin of meet2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English mete, meete, mette, from Old English gemǣte “suitable,” cognate with German gemäss “suitable, appropriate”
Explanation
Meet means to interact in some way. You can meet someone at a party, you can meet another team in a game. There are many ways to meet. You can meet with tragedy, which means to have something awful happen to you. You can meet the needs of others, which means you give them what they need. You can meet expectations on the state exam, which means you do as well as you need to pass. You can meet your friends at the mall. When you see the word meet, there’s usually a connection being made.
Vocabulary lists containing meet
"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 5
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was not known whether the two sides would meet face-to-face, or whether they would mirror an indirect format used in Oman-mediated talks before the war.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
In the Baltic Sea, Russia is defying international sanctions by transporting oil and gas on a “shadow fleet” of ships that often fail to meet global safety requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
That's because in Britain, when there isn't enough renewable power to meet demand, the grid often uses gas-generated electricity, which can be more expensive, especially during global energy shocks.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Vance is slated to meet with Iranian officials in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad starting on Saturday, after the two countries agreed on Tuesday to a two-week cease-fire.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
And since other Haarlemers were just as regular in their habits, we knew exactly whom we would meet.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
