What is the difference between "meet" and "meat"?

The words meet and meat are often confused because they sound the same. We'll help you to understand the difference.

Meet means to make personal contact when used as a verb.

Meat means food for animals or humans, especially solid food.

A good way to remember the difference is meat contains the word eat.

Meet and meat are homophones, which means they sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

Meet

Meet can be a verb or a noun. As a verb, meet essentially means to come together. It can refer to people getting together, especially for the first time. It can also refer to things coming together, as in "where the roads meet." As a noun, meet is another word for a gathering. It is often used to refer to certain types of sporting events, like track and field or gymnastics.

Some synonyms of meet are: match, manage, get together.

Meat

Meat is a noun. It refers to the flesh of an animal that humans or animals consume. Beef, chicken, pork, and venison are a few examples of meat. Meat can sometimes refer the most important part of something. For instance, the meat of an essay are the main points, not the introduction or conclusion.

Some synonyms of meat are: kernel, core, heart.

Still unsure? Check out our video.

FAQs

Which is correct, make ends meet or make ends meat?

The correct expression is make ends meet, e.g. Households in the Just About Managing category often worry about whether they can make ends meet.

Which is correct, meet and greet or meat and greet?

The correct phrase is meet and greet, e.g. It's polite to meet and greet guests when they arrive.

Should it be you're dead meat or you're dead meet?

The correct phrase is 'you're dead meat', e.g. He slammed Mike against the lockers. "Do that again, and you're dead meat."

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The definitions in this article were adapted from Wiktionary.