meet
gb/mˈit/ us/mˈit/
A1
English
~ 300
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
action
1
Come together in one place
To be in the same place as someone else, usually to talk or spend time together.
Usage pattern:
to meet [someone] [somewhere]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'meet' with 'see'. 'See' focuses on noticing with your eyes, while 'meet' focuses on coming together.
Synonyms
gather (Implies more than two people coming together, often for a purpose.)
|
encounter (More formal or may suggest an unexpected meeting.)
Antonyms
separate (To go away from each other or be apart.)
Collocations
meet for lunch
|meet at the station
|meet in person
|meet face-to-face
Themes
daily life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Let's meet at the cafe at 3 p.m.
- We met in the park to discuss the project.
- They first met in college.
- I will meet you outside the theater.
- We met yesterday to plan the trip.
Learner examples
- I will meet you at the bus stop.
- We meet every Saturday.
- She met her friends after school.
- They meet in the library.
- He met me at the door.
Verb
A1
action
2
Be introduced to someone new
To see and talk to someone for the first time and learn who they are.
Usage pattern:
to meet [someone] for the first time
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'know' instead of 'meet' when talking about the first introduction. 'Know' means you are already familiar with someone.
Synonyms
be introduced to (Focuses on the formal act of someone presenting two people to each other.)
Antonyms
ignore (To deliberately avoid acknowledging someone.)
Collocations
meet new people
|meet a friend of a friend
|meet your future partner
Themes
relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I met Sarah at a conference last year.
- You’ll meet my parents tonight.
- He met his best friend in high school.
- Where did you first meet your wife?
- It was nice to meet you yesterday.
Learner examples
- I met my teacher yesterday.
- She met a new friend at school.
- He met his boss this morning.
- We met our neighbors last week.
- I met my cousin for the first time.
Verb
B1
action
3
Fulfill a requirement or standard
To do or be enough for what is needed or asked for.
Usage pattern:
to meet [a requirement/standard/expectation]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'meet' in this sense with 'get' or 'reach'. 'Meet' here means to satisfy a set condition, not physically arrive somewhere.
Synonyms
satisfy (Emphasizes providing what is needed or wanted.)
|
fulfill (Often used in formal contexts to mean achieving a condition or duty.)
Antonyms
fail (To not do what is required or expected.)
Collocations
meet a deadline
|meet expectations
|meet the requirements
Themes
business
|education
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She worked hard to meet the deadline.
- The product meets all safety standards.
- We need to meet our sales targets this quarter.
- The proposal meets all the requirements for approval.
- His performance didn’t meet their expectations.
Learner examples
- I must meet the deadline.
- This car meets my needs.
- The hotel meets our standards.
- He did not meet the requirements.
- We meet all safety rules.
Verb
B2
action
4
Experience difficulty or opposition
To have to deal with something, often something hard or unpleasant.
Usage pattern:
to meet [difficulty/opposition/problem]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'meet' meaning to see someone. Here it means to experience a situation, often negative.
Synonyms
encounter (Neutral; often used when something happens unexpectedly.)
|
face (Emphasizes dealing directly with something difficult.)
Antonyms
avoid (To keep away from something unpleasant.)
Collocations
meet resistance
|meet trouble
|meet challenges
Themes
challenges
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The proposal met strong opposition from local residents.
- She met many difficulties during her journey.
- His ideas met with criticism from experts.
- We met resistance when we tried to change the policy.
- The project met several unexpected problems.
Learner examples
- He met many problems at work.
- She met strong opposition from her boss.
- We met trouble on the road.
- They met challenges during the trip.
- Our plan met some problems.
Noun
B1
event
5
Organized gathering or competition
A planned event where people come together for sports, business, or fun.
Synonyms
gathering (General term for people coming together.)
|
competition (When referring specifically to sports meets.)
Antonyms
solitude (The state of being alone without gatherings.)
Collocations
track meet
|swim meet
|business meet
Themes
sports
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The school is hosting a swim meet this weekend.
- Athletes from across the country attended the track meet.
- The annual business meet attracts industry leaders from around the world.
- He performed well at the regional meet.
- The meet was canceled due to bad weather.
Learner examples
- We went to a swim meet.
- The track meet starts at 10 a.m.
- Our school has a big meet next week.
- I like to watch the track meet.
- The meet is in the gym.
Grammar
Dictionary form
meet
IPA
GB/mˈit/
US/mˈit/
Syllables & stress
meet (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (meet)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: meet
- Plural: meets
Verb
- Base: meet
- 3rd Person Singular: meets
- Present Participle: meeting
- Past: met
- Past Participle: met
Word family
Forms
Negative and opposite forms
unmet
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular past: met Verb
- Irregular past participle: met Verb
Expressions
meet halfway
1/mˈit hˈæfwˈeɪ/
idiom
Compromise with someone
To agree to give part of what each person wants so both are happy enough.
Examples
- If we can’t agree, let’s meet halfway on the price.
- She agreed to meet him halfway and share the costs.
meet one’s match
1/mˈit wˈʌnz mˈæt͡ʃ/
idiom
Find an equal opponent
To find someone who is as strong, smart, or good at something as you are, often for the first time.
Examples
- In the finals, he finally met his match.
- She thought she could win easily but she met her match.
meet up
1/mˈit ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
informal
Get together socially by plan
To see and spend time with someone after deciding on it before.
Examples
- Let’s meet up after work for dinner.
- We met up at the park to play soccer.
nice to meet you
1/nˈaɪs tə mˈit jˈu/
fixed phrase
pleasure at first meeting someone
Used when you meet someone for the first time to show that you are happy to meet them.
Examples
- ‘Nice to meet you,’ he said with a smile.
- Hello, I’m Sarah. Nice to meet you!
- It’s nice to meet you at last.
- It’s been great talking on the phone—nice to meet you in person.
make ends meet
1/mˈeɪk ˈɛndz mˈit/
idiom
earn just enough for basic needs
To have just enough money for your basic needs like food and rent.
Examples
- It's hard to make ends meet on such a low salary.
- It’s hard to make ends meet on such a low salary.
- They struggle to make ends meet every month.
- They’re struggling to make ends meet after losing their jobs.
make ends meet
2/mˈeɪk ˈɛndz mˈit/
idiom
to have enough money for basic needs
To earn enough money for your basic needs like food and housing.
Examples
- It's hard to make ends meet on such a small salary.
- They struggle to make ends meet each month.