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'Meat' is animal flesh used as food; 'meet' means to encounter someone or a gathering.
Side-by-side comparison
"Meat" is the flesh of an animal used as food. "Red meat" = beef or lamb. "Meat and potatoes" = the basics, the essentials. It is only a noun.
The butcher recommended the lean cut of meat for the stew.
Many people are reducing their meat consumption for health reasons.
Red meat should be cooked to a safe internal temperature.
"Meet" is the verb to encounter or be introduced to someone, or to gather together. "Nice to meet you" = pleased to make your acquaintance. Also an informal noun for a sports competition.
Let's meet at the café at noon to discuss the proposal.
I first met my business partner at a networking event.
Nice to meet you! I have heard a lot about your work.
Common mistake
"Let's meat for coffee" is a very common writing error: the verb for coming together is "meet". "Meat" is animal flesh for eating.
Trick to remember it
- •"Meat" contains "eat", you eat meat.
- •"Meet" has double E like two people facing each other.
Quick rule
- •"Meat" = food from animals — beef, pork, chicken (noun).
- •"Meet" = to encounter someone (verb) or a meeting (noun). Past tense: "met".
- •Homophones: they sound the same, spelled differently.
Did you know?
In Old English, MEAT meant any type of food, not just animal flesh. This original meaning survives in modern expressions: "sweetmeat" (an old term for candy or confection, literally "sweet food"), "mincemeat" (the spiced filling of British Christmas pies, which originally did contain meat), and the archaic phrase "meat and drink" (food and beverage). The narrowing of MEAT to mean specifically "animal flesh" was gradual over the centuries, as the word progressively replaced its general "food" meaning with the more specific sense we know today.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She doesn't eat _____ . She's been vegetarian for five years.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Let's _____ at the café at 3pm. I have something to tell you.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy