red meat

American  

noun

1. any meat that is dark-colored before cooking, as beef, lamb, venison, or mutton (white meat ).

---

red meat British  

noun

1. any meat that is dark in colour, esp beef and lamb Compare white meat

---

Etymology

Origin of red meat

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

When people eat red meat, the liver converts certain byproducts into trimethylamine N-oxide, a compound associated with cardiovascular disease.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

These soaring food prices is why you hear more and more Iranians talking about red meat vanishing from their tables in recent years, to be replaced by cheaper alternatives such as chicken, cheese or beans.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

The issue of big people and small airplane seats has long been tabloid fodder and red meat for message board posters.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

Shoppers looking for protein from red meat will pay much more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Once when Kochu Maria took her to the butcher’s shop, Rahel noticed that the green five-rupee note that he gave them had a tiny blob of red meat on it.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy