meeting

American  

[mee-ting] / ˈmi tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of coming together.

   a chance meeting in the park.

   Synonyms:

   rendezvous, confrontation, encounter

2. an assembly or conference of persons for a specific purpose.

   a ten o'clock business meeting.

3. the body of persons present at an assembly or conference.

   to read a report to the meeting.

4. a hostile encounter; duel.

5. an assembly for religious worship, especially of Quakers.

6. meeting house.

7. a place or point of contact; junction; juncture: the meeting of the waters.

   the meeting of two roads;

   the meeting of the waters.

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idioms

1. take a meeting, to hold, conduct, or participate in a meeting.

   The producer took a meeting with the cast of the film.

meeting British  

/ ˈmiːtɪŋ /

noun

1. an act of coming together; encounter

2. an assembly or gathering

3. a conjunction or union

4. a sporting competition, as of athletes, or of horse racing

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Other Word Forms

• submeeting noun

Etymology

Origin of meeting

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; meet ¹ + -ing ¹

Explanation

A meeting is the planned gathering of a group of people for a specific reason. You might attend a meeting for Trekkies who are all fans of "Star Trek," or you may decide to stay home and watch "Star Trek" reruns instead. Wise move. Meetings are arranged beforehand, and when you show up at one, there will be other people there for the same purpose. Your meeting might be your monthly book group or a quick huddle after work to plan your boss's surprise birthday party. Meeting can also mean "an encounter," like the chance meeting you have with your kindergarten teacher at the grocery store, or "the place things come together," like the meeting of two streams in your yard.

Example Sentences

Tuesday's meeting in Washington -- the first such in-person talks since 1993 -- will be mediated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and include the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

The company said earlier this month it will add two members to its board following discussions with Starboard, which agreed to withdraw its director nominations ahead of the company’s annual shareholder meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

He is expected to hold a meeting for peace in the city's Saint Joseph's Cathedral.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The Monday meeting adjourned in just under three hours — with board members using less than the four hours set aside on their schedule.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Then he calculated we had a good chance of meeting up with them in four or five weeks or so.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• competition
• confrontation
• contest
• convention
• date
• encounter
• reunion
• session
• showdown
• talk