use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

meet 1 (mēt)
Share:
v. met (mĕt), meet·ing, meets
v.tr.
1.
a. To come into the presence of by chance or arrangement: I was surprised to meet an old friend in the park. I met a friend for coffee.
b. To come into the company of: I met my colleagues for a meeting.
c. To be introduced to; make the acquaintance of: Have you met my wife?
d. To come together or confront in opposition: The rival teams meet next week.
2. To be present at the arrival of: met the train.
3. To come into conjunction with; join or touch: where the road meets the highway.
4. To come into conformity with the views, wishes, or opinions of: The firm has done its best to meet us on that point.
5. To come to the notice of (the senses): There is more here than meets the eye.
6. To experience or undergo: He met his fate with courage. The project has met a setback.
7.
a. To be sufficient for (a need, for example); fulfill: meet all the conditions in the contract. See Synonyms at satisfy.
b. To deal or contend with effectively: We can meet each problem as it arises.
c. To pay; settle: enough money to meet expenses.
v.intr.
1. To come together: Didn't recognize him when we met. Where should we meet for lunch?
2. To come into conjunction; be joined: The two pipes meet in the corner.
3. To come together as opponents; contend: The team met with its rival.
4. To become introduced: Where did the two of you meet?
5. To assemble: Protesters met in the square.
6. To occur together, especially in one person or entity: Suspense and intrigue meet in this new movie.
n.
A meeting or contest, especially an athletic competition.
Phrasal Verb:
meet with
1. To experience or undergo.
2. To receive: Our plan met with their approval.
Idioms:
meet cute
To make one another's acquaintance under unexpected and often comically adverse circumstances. Used especially of protagonists in a romantic comedy: In the movie, the lead characters meet cute in a park during a rainstorm.
meet (one's) Maker Slang
To die.
meet (someone) halfway
To make a compromise with.

[Middle English meten, from Old English mētan.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.