- present participle of meet.
meeting
Americannoun
-
meetings
plural
-
the act of coming together.
a chance meeting in the park.
- Synonyms:
- rendezvous, confrontation, encounter
-
an assembly or conference of persons for a specific purpose.
a ten o'clock business meeting.
-
the body of persons present at an assembly or conference.
to read a report to the meeting.
-
a hostile encounter; duel.
-
an assembly for religious worship, especially of Quakers.
-
a place or point of contact; junction; juncture: the meeting of the waters.
the meeting of two roads;
the meeting of the waters.
idioms
noun
-
an act of coming together; encounter
-
an assembly or gathering
-
a conjunction or union
-
a sporting competition, as of athletes, or of horse racing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of meeting
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; meet 1 + -ing 1
Explanation
A meeting is the planned gathering of a group of people for a specific reason. You might attend a meeting for Trekkies who are all fans of "Star Trek," or you may decide to stay home and watch "Star Trek" reruns instead. Wise move. Meetings are arranged beforehand, and when you show up at one, there will be other people there for the same purpose. Your meeting might be your monthly book group or a quick huddle after work to plan your boss's surprise birthday party. Meeting can also mean "an encounter," like the chance meeting you have with your kindergarten teacher at the grocery store, or "the place things come together," like the meeting of two streams in your yard.
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.
See Examples For:
The agreement followed a meeting between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin last week.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The candidates will be considered by the Eurogroup at a meeting Monday, before European Union leaders make the final choice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Markets are currently pricing in a 71% chance of the Fed raising rates by one-quarter point at its meeting in December, according to FedWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
We had a business meeting there with our manager or agent or lawyer or something and then we had just started going there religiously every Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Even though the stranger could now be identified in looks and temperament, Duane was not sure how to go about meeting her again, which he felt was important and necessary.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Participants in the meetings expect Beijing policymakers to roll out measures to support growth, but there are great uncertainties about the next course of action, given evolving policy priorities, Citi says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Speaking before the meetings, Burrows said the UUP wanted to strike a budget but would be telling the secretary of state Northern Ireland needs better governance.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The members began holding meetings in September and will continue through February 2027, backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, a philanthropic organization, and Invest in Our Future, which is affiliated with it, the document said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
“I still can’t get the stereotype out of my head of the L.A. writer who does all the things in L.A., like taking pitch meetings, getting coffee and being in writers’ rooms,” added Abularach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Still, other groups went underground and held secret meetings.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
