Meat vs. Meet

There are so many pairs of words in English that sound the same but have very different meanings. It is important to be able to tell the difference between these tricky word pairs so that you don't confuse people that you are trying to talk with. One example of words that can sometimes get mixed up are meat and meet.

These two words are homophones, meaning that they sound exactly the same, but are spelled differently and have very different meanings. One means to be acquainted with someone for the first time and the other is the flesh of an animal! You definitely do not want to mix those up.

Let's take a look at some definitions and examples for both to give you a better idea of when to use meat and when to use meet.

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

Meat

The first word that we will look at is meat, with an "ea" in the middle. Meat is a noun and has several definitions.

The most common definition of meat is as the flesh of an animal that is used as food.

Meat can also be used to talk about the flesh of human beings, but not as food, of course!

Another way to use the word meat is to talk about the inside of a fruit or nut, so the part of it that you eat.

The final definition refers to the most important or fundamental part of something. The meat of a story, for example.

Now let's go through some examples of meat used in sentences to give you an even better idea of when you can use the word.

Examples:

1. I cook meat for dinner only one night a week.
   (I cook animal flesh for dinner only one night a week.)
   
   
   
2. My grandma always feeds me extra portions because she doesn't think I have enough meat on me.
   (My grandma always feeds me extra portions because she doesn't think I have enough body fat and/or muscle.)
   
   
   
3. We need to keep talking until we get to the meat of the issue.
   (We need to keep talking until we get to the main point.)
   
   
   
4. Brad has to use a knife to get to the meat of the coconut.
   (Brad has to use a knife to get to the edible part inside of the coconut.)
   
   
   
5. Lisa raises pigs on her farm and sells them for their meat.
   (Lisa raises pigs on her farm and sells them to be made into food and eaten.)
   
   

 
Meet

The second word that we will be going over is meet with and "ee" in the middle. Meet is usually a verb, but can also be a noun. There are several possible definitions for this word.

The past tense form of meet is met.

One definition of meet that is used very often is to see someone new, or to introduce yourself to a new person.

Another way that you can use meet is when you come into the same place as someone, either that you know or do not know, and either by chance or because you planned to both be at the same place. When you make a plan to go to lunch with a friend, you can say that you will meet them for lunch.

You can also say that you will meet with someone, which means that you will be having a meeting, usually to talk about business or for a practical reason.

Additionally, meet can mean to experience something, like a specific situation, or to react to something. This is usually done using the passive voice. For example, you could say, "The idea was met with strong criticism" or "The idea was met with great enthusiasm."

Meet can also mean for two things to touch.

Another definition is to fulfill something, like a specific set of requirements, or to pay for something completely.

As a noun, a meet is an event where people gather to compete, usually in some type of sport.

That's a lot of possible meanings for one word! Let's go over some examples to help makes things more clear.

Examples:

1. Steven and Sam agree to meet in the parking lot before the concert.
   (Steven and Sam agree to go to the same place at the same time to see each other before the concert.)
   
   
   
2. Tony likes his job because he gets to meet lots of new people every day.
   (Tony likes his job because he gets to know who people are who he didn't know before.)
   
   
   
3. His house is right next to where the river meets the ocean.
   (His house is right next to where the river and ocean touch each other.)
   
   
   
4. I am going to compete in my first swim meet this afternoon.
   (I am going to compete in my first event for swimming races this afternoon.)
   
   
   
5. She will not graduate this year because she did not meet the school's requirements.
   (She will not graduate because she did not fulfill the school's requirements.)
   
   
   
6. The joke was met with a lot of laughter.
   (The people reacted to the joke with laughter.)
   
   

 More Tips

Now you should have a better idea about when to use meat, which means the flesh of an animal used for food, and meet, which means to become acquainted with or introduced to someone new.

It can still be hard to remember which is which sometimes though. One easy way to tell the two words apart is by remembering the different ways that they are spelled.

Meat is spelled with and "a," while meet has only the letter "e" in the middle. So if you are having trouble, just look for the "a" and remember that "a" is the first letter in "animal," and meat is the part of an animal that you eat.

With that little trick, you should have no problem knowing which word is which!

A Story to Practice Meat vs. Meet

I meet my friend Daniel in the forest today to go hunting. I tell Daniel that my brother has a wrestling meet later so I cannot stay too long. His eyes meet mine and I see that he is not too happy about it. I am Daniel's only friend because he lives in the forest and does not get to meet many people.

To cheer him up, I tell him a story about my dog. She cracks open coconuts with her teeth and eats the meat out of them. Just as I am getting to the meat of my story, Daniel and I meet a deer. It stands where the trees meet a field in front of us. It is very small though and does not meet the requirements to be hunted, so we let it run away.

I finish telling Daniel my story and I am met with laughter. He thinks it is funny that I let my dog eat coconuts. I say that she is too thin and needs to put more meat on her bones, so I let her eat anything she wants. Daniel is happy now, even though we did not get a deer today.

Quiz

Answer the following 10 questions and then check your answers. Each question is worth 10 points.

Part 1:

1. Which of the following is a correct definition of meat?
1. The least important part of something
   
2. The most important part of something
   
3. The outside of a fruit or nut
   
4. When two things touch each other
   
   
2. Which of the following is a correct definition of meet?
1. Laughing at something
   
2. An event where people compete
   
3. Food made of animals
   
4. Going somewhere by yourself
   
   
3. Which of the following sentences is written correctly?
1. Let's get to the meet of the matter.
   
2. If you meat the height requirement, you can go on the roller coaster.
   
3. There is a stoplight where the two streets meat.
   
4. I meet my friend for coffee every Friday morning.
   
   
4. Which of the following sentences is written incorrectly?
1. Charlie's new song is met with anger because it is bad.
   
2. It makes me nervous to meet someone's parents.
   
3. You can cook meet on a grill or in the oven.
   
4. Sumo wrestlers work very hard to put all that meat on themselves.

Part 2:

1. I lost a lot of weight while I was sick and now I have no __________ on my bones.
1. meat
   
2. meet
   
3. meets
   
4. meeting
   
   
2. I hope that I will __________ the president some day.
1. meeting
   
2. meat
   
3. met
   
4. meet
   
   
3. This weekend she is competing in three different track __________.
1. meets
   
2. meet
   
3. met
   
4. meat
   
   
4. Tracy brings Mike some __________ to cook for the party.
1. meets
   
2. meat
   
3. meet
   
4. meats
   
   
5. The new law is __________ with anger and confusion by the people.
1. meets
   
2. meat
   
3. met
   
4. meeting
   
   
6. They run to each other and __________ in the middle of the field.
1. meet
   
2. meeting
   
3. meat
   
4. meets

Answer Key

Part 1: 1. B | 2. B | 3. D | 4. C

Part 2: 1. A | 2. D | 3. A | 4. B | 5. C | 6. A

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