Meet (verb) has two core meanings: (1) to come together with someone, either by arrangement or by chance; (2) to satisfy, fulfil, or come up to a required standard, deadline, or expectation.
What Does Meet Mean?
Meet comes from Old English mētan (to meet, encounter), derived from Proto-Germanic *mōtijaną. It has been in continuous use in English for over a thousand years, making it one of the language's most ancient and fundamental verbs.
In its first and most familiar sense, meet describes two or more people coming together — at a prearranged place and time ("We arranged to meet at the library at noon"), as a first introduction ("Pleased to meet you"), or unexpectedly ("I met an old friend on the train"). The verb is symmetric: if you meet someone, they also meet you.
In its second sense, meet takes an abstract noun as its object and means to satisfy or fulfil: meet a deadline, meet a requirement, meet expectations. This use is common in professional, academic, and formal writing. Note that in this sense the word is not symmetric — a proposal meets a standard, but the standard does not meet the proposal.
The irregular past tense and past participle is met. The present participle is meeting, which also functions as the common noun for a scheduled gathering of people.
Example Sentences (A2–C1)
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| We arranged to meet at the library at noon. | A2 — arranged meeting, basic sentence structure |
| I met my best friend on the first day of secondary school. | B1 — past simple, first encounter |
| The new safety regulations meet the standards required by British law. | B2 — meet = satisfy; formal/professional register |
| Despite working through the weekend, the team failed to meet the deadline. | B2 — meet a deadline; negative outcome |
| The councillors agreed to meet the residents halfway on the planning dispute. | C1 — meet halfway (idiom): to reach a compromise |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| meet a deadline | Can we realistically meet the deadline of Friday? |
| meet a requirement | All candidates must meet the entry requirements. |
| meet expectations | The final product did not meet our expectations. |
| meet a need | The charity was set up to meet the needs of homeless families. |
| meet for the first time | They met for the first time at a conference in Edinburgh. |
| meet face to face | After months of emails, they finally met face to face. |
| meet halfway | Neither side was willing to meet the other halfway. |
| meet someone's gaze | She refused to meet his gaze across the table. |
Related Words
Usage Notes
British vs American English: In British English, the standard form is simply meet someone — "I'll meet you outside." The American form meet with someone is understood in Britain but sounds slightly formal or unusual in casual speech. In British professional contexts, "have a meeting with" is the more natural alternative to "meet with".
Irregular verb: Remember that meet is irregular — the past simple and past participle are both met, never "meeted". This is a common error among learners at A2–B1 level.
Noun use: Meeting is the standard noun for a planned gathering. Meet as a standalone noun appears mainly in sports contexts (an athletics meet, a swim meet) and is less common in general British English.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
We meeted at the park after school.
We met at the park after school. (irregular past tense: meet → met)
The proposal meets with all the required standards.
The proposal meets all the required standards. (no preposition needed in the 'satisfy' sense)
Nice to meet with you.
Nice to meet you. (standard British English greeting formula)