Word
meet
US/ˈmit/
UK/mˈiːt/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
meet
Past
met
Past participle
met
Definitions
01to see someone
A1 · Beginner
v. to come together with someone at a specific place or time.
v. to come into the presence of or join someone by arrangement or accident.
“Let's meet outside the cinema at seven o'clock tonight.”
“The delegates agreed to meet in a neutral location to ensure that the negotiations could proceed without external pressure.”
Usage
Often used without an object when referring to a group coming together.
Pitfall
I will meet with you at the station.
I will meet you at the station.
In most contexts, 'meet' is transitive and does not need 'with'. Use 'meet with' only for formal discussions or scheduled business appointments.
02to be introduced
A1 · Beginner
v. to see and speak to someone for the first time.
v. to be introduced to someone or to make the acquaintance of another person.
“I am very pleased to meet you after hearing so much about your work.”
“It was during the international conference in Berlin that she first met the researcher who would eventually become her long-term collaborator.”
Usage
Commonly used in the passive voice during introductions.
Synonyms
03to satisfy a need
B1 · Intermediate
v. to fulfill a requirement, a need, or a condition.
v. to satisfy or comply with a standard, requirement, or expectation.
Español:cumplir con
“The new product must meet all safety standards before it can be sold.”
“The applicant failed to meet the rigorous criteria established by the admissions board, despite having significant professional experience in the field.”
Usage
Commonly collocates with 'needs', 'requirements', 'deadlines', or 'standards'.
04to touch or join
B1 · Intermediate
v. to touch or join together at a certain point.
v. to come into physical contact or to intersect at a specific point.
“This is the point where the two rivers meet and flow into the sea.”
“The two mountain ranges meet at a narrow pass that has served as a vital trade route for centuries.”
Usage
Intransitive when describing where two lines or roads join.
05sports competition
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Sports American English
n. a sports competition, especially for running or swimming.
n. a scheduled athletic competition or gathering, typically for track and field or swimming.
“She won two gold medals at the regional track meet last weekend.”
“The annual swim meet attracted competitors from across the state, resulting in several new records being established in the butterfly events.”
Teaching tip
In British English, 'meeting' is more common for athletics, while 'meet' is often associated specifically with swimming or hunting.
Synonyms
06proper or suitable
C2 · Proficiency Archaic · Literary
adj. right or suitable for a situation.
adj. fitting, proper, or appropriate for a specific occasion or person.
Español:adecuado
“It is meet and right that we should celebrate this victory together.”
“The king deemed it meet to reward his loyal subjects with a grand feast following the successful harvest.”
Usage
Almost exclusively found in religious texts or older literature.
Teaching tip
Modern learners should avoid using this as an adjective in speech; it will sound like a mistake for 'meat' or 'meet' (verb).
Synonyms
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “meet” in context.
Confusables
Meet is the first encounter or arrival; know is the ongoing state of familiarity.
RememberMeet is the handshake; know is the friendship.
Etymology
From Middle English meten, from Old English mētan (“to meet, find, encounter”), from Proto-West Germanic mōtijan (“to meet”), from Proto-Germanic mōtijaną (“to meet”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d- (“to come, meet”). Cognates Cognate with Scots met, mete, meit (“to meet”), North Frisian meet, mätje, möt (“to meet”), West Frisian mette, moetsje (“to meet”), Dutch ontmoeten (“to meet”), Low German möten (“to meet”), Danish møde (“to meet”), Elfdalian my̨öt (“to meet”), Faroese møta (“to meet”), Icelandic mæta (“to meet”), Norwegian Bokmål møte (“to meet”), Norwegian Nynorsk møta, møte (“to meet”), Swedish möta (“to meet”). Related to moot.
From Middle English mete, imete, from Old English ġemǣte (“suitable, having the same measurements”), from the Proto-Germanic gamētijaz, mētiz (“reasonable; estimable”) (cognate with Dutch meten (“measure”), German gemäß (“suitable”) etc.), itself from collective prefix ga- + Proto-Indo-European med- (“to measure”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/meet
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0