1. v. & n.
--v. (past and past part. met)
1. a tr. encounter (a person or persons) by accident or design; come face to face with. b intr. (of two or more people) come into each other's company by accident or design (decided to meet on the bridge).
2 tr. go to a place to be present at the arrival of (a person, train, etc.).
3 a tr. (of a moving object, line, feature of landscape, etc.) come together or into contact with (where the road meets the flyover). b intr. come together or into contact (where the sea and the sky meet).
4 a tr. make the acquaintance of (delighted to meet you). b intr. (of two or more people) make each other's acquaintance.
5 intr. & tr. come together or come into contact with for the purposes of conference, business, worship, etc. (the committee meets every week; the union met management yesterday).
6 tr. a (of a person or a group) deal with or answer (a demand, objection, etc.) (met the original proposal with hostility). b satisfy or conform with (proposals, deadlines, a person, etc.) (agreed to meet the new terms; did my best to meet them on that point).
7 tr. pay (a bill etc.); provide the funds required by (a cheque etc.) (meet the cost of the move).
8 tr. & (foll. by with) intr. experience, encounter, or receive (success, disaster, a difficulty, etc.) (met their death; met with many problems).
9 tr. oppose in battle, contest, or confrontation.
10 intr. (of clothes, curtains, etc.) join or fasten correctly (my jacket won't meet).
--n.
1. the assembly of riders and hounds for a hunt.
2 the assembly of competitors for various sporting activities, esp. athletics.
Phrases and idioms:
make ends meet see END. meet the case be adequate. meet the eye (or the ear) be visible (or audible). meet a person's eye check if another person is watching and look into his or her eyes in return. meet a person half way make a compromise, respond in a friendly way to the advances of another person. meet up colloq. happen to meet. meet with
1. see sense 8 of v.
2 receive (a reaction) (met with the committee's approval).
3 esp. US sense 1a of v. more in it than meets the eye hidden qualities or complications.
Derivatives:
meeter n.
Etymology: OE metan f. Gmc: cf. MOOT 2. adj. archaic suitable, fit, proper.
Derivatives:
meetly adv. meetness n.
Etymology: ME (i)mete repr. OE gem{aelig}te f. Gmc, rel. to METE(1)