I. ˈmēt, usu -ēd.+V verb
( met ˈmet, usu -ed.+V ; met ; meeting ; meets )
Etymology: Middle English meten, from Old English mētan; akin to Old English & Old Saxon mōt meeting, assembly, Old Saxon mōtian to meet, Old High German muoz meeting, Old Norse mœta to meet, Gothic ga motjan to meet, Armenian matčim I approach
transitive verb
1.
a. : to come by accident into the presence of : fall in with : come upon : find
met him as a stranger on a railroad journey
b. : to come near or in touch with by approach from another direction
the whole delegation went to meet them at the terminal
c. : to come into contact or conjunction with : join
there the brook meets the river
d. : to present a sense impression to : impinge on : catch
a brazen roar meets the ear
a pungent odor … met his nostrils — S.E.White
2. : to collide with : encounter as antagonist or foe : fight, cope, or grapple with : oppose
met the heavyweight contender in a successful bout
3. : to join (a person) in conversation, discussion, or social or business intercourse : enter into conference, argument, or personal dealings with
4. : to conform to the wishes or opinions of
expressed willingness to meet him on that point
5. : to discharge or pay fully : satisfy , settle
could not meet his loans — Waldo Frank
did we meet the costs — E.R.Leibert
6. : to contend successfully with : cope with : match
true imaginative teaching arises to meet the situation of the moment — A.E.Wier
refiners of branded gasoline met the offer — S.M.Loescher
this problem was met and solved — W.D.Leggett
7. : to provide for : fill , fulfill
natural resources … to meet human needs — John Boyd Orr
public and private agencies labored to meet a critical housing shortage
studied diligently to meet the entrance requirements of his college
8. : to be introduced to or made acquainted with
an attractive sister I want you to meet
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to come together usually from different directions : come face to face
it was in that unpropitious place they met
b. : to hold a session : convene for worship, business, or other purpose : assemble , congregate
the city council will meet soon to deal with the issue
2. : to join as contestants, opponents, or enemies
the candidates met on many platforms to debate
3. : to form a junction or confluence : follow or enter an identical course
at last the two rails met and the golden spikes were driven — Meridel Le Sueur
4. : to occur or appear together : unite
many graces and many virtues meet in her
Synonyms:
face , encounter , confront : meet , in the basic sense pertinent here, usually implies no more than to come into the presence or company of whether by chance or design
meet a stranger in the woods
the event of my last visit to the mountain was meeting one of these brilliant creatures near the summit, in full song — John Burroughs
as gruesome a sight as a man could meet in a lifetime — Marcia Davenport
arrange to meet a friend at 2 o'clock
encounter usually confines the meeting to one by accident or chance
walked the whole of the six or seven miles … without encountering a soul — Compton Mackenzie
personal reminiscences of actual incidents and people encountered during his 20 years of active sea life — R.W.Stallman
troops moving westward by a parallel trail encountered the river and were delayed — American Guide Series: Florida
this emigration encountered a number of obstacles — Collier's Year Book
confront and face both imply a direct, usually square, meeting in opposition. confront stresses the unavoidable, face-to-face nature of the meeting
the basic question confronting the court — Douglass Cater
the major problem confronting humanity — G.E.Hutchinson
stared appalled at what confronted me — H.D.Quillin
often, when the subject is personal, suggesting such a meeting resolutely entered into out of a determination to face a difficulty or settle a matter
one of the most arduous tasks a conductor can confront — Irving Kolodin
a man who can confront misfortune — W.S.White
confront toil and danger — Sir Winston Churchill
face emphasizes more the resoluteness, often courageousness, of the meeting as with something one might reasonably hesitate or dislike to meet
not to avoid but to face the enemy
the difficulties faced by the new government — H.C.Atyeo
the government faces a strong storm of protest over its decision — Current History
the ordeal he must now prepare to face — B.A.Williams
a great many young men … are unwilling to face four years of college — Nichols Junior College Catalogue
Synonym: see in addition satisfy .
•
- meet her
- meet one halfway
- meet up with
- meet with
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : an assembling of men and hounds for a hunt
b. : a sports meeting consisting of competitive events especially in track and field, swimming, or gymnastics contested by individuals and often by relay or other teams
c. : a sports contest of any of various other kinds
basketball meet
trapshooters' meet
sports car meet
d. : a festival or competition of any of various other kinds
singing meet
2.
a. : the passage or point of passage of two trains traveling in opposite directions
b. : the point on a single track at which one train must take a siding to permit another to pass in the opposite direction
3. Australia : assignation
III. adjective
Etymology: Middle English mete, from Old English gemǣte; akin to Old High German māza moderation, suitability, manner, māzi suitable, Old Norse mǣtr valuable, worthy, māt moderation, Gothic us met way of life, mitan to measure — more at mete
1. archaic : close, exact, or scant in measure or size
2. : suitable , fit , proper , appropriate
he had been gradually growing more and more vile and meet to be exterminated — Arnold Bennett
Synonyms: see fit
IV. adverb
Etymology: Middle English mete, from mete, adjective
obsolete : in a suitable manner : fitly , sufficiently