meat

noun

ˈmēt 

1

a

: food

especially : solid food as distinguished from drink

b

: the edible part of something as distinguished from its covering (such as a husk or shell)

2

: animal tissue considered especially as food:

a

: flesh sense 2b

also : flesh of a mammal as opposed to fowl or fish

b

: flesh sense 1a

specifically : flesh of domesticated animals

3

archaic : meal entry 1 sense 1

especially : dinner

4

a

: the core of something : heart

b

: pith sense 2b

a novel with meat

5

: favorite pursuit or interest

meated

ˈmē-təd 

adjective

meatless adjective

Synonyms

• flesh

Examples of meat in a Sentence

The restaurant serves a variety of meats.

The real meat of the book is found in its discussion of his economic plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

Herminia and Pedro now harvest whatever the field yields — something to supplement the pounds of meat and masa that are purchased each week to feed the home’s eight permanent residents: an assortment of children and grandchildren, and a handful of regular visitors. —Xavier Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024

Fleury has always given locally sourced produce the starring role in her cooking, treating meat and fish as condiments. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2024

The meat version of this specialty pie is made with a spicy crema base, then topped with chicken, roasted corn, onion, jalapeños, cotija cheese, cilantro, tajin and lime. —Alexandra Maloney, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2024

The concept will feature Southern-style smoked meats, such as beef brisket, salmon, and wings. —Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024

Perhaps the most transformational work has been done by Temple Grandin, the animal behaviorist whose research into how food animals experience and respond to their environment — particularly during transport and slaughter — has changed the way that meat and dairy producers operate. —Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Lance Neal, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

The popular restaurant specializes in birria, a traditional meat stew often used in tacos. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 23 Apr. 2024

For Rousseau, a dogmatic vegetarian who suggested that eating meat could be the first step on the road to committing murder, the food that a child ate set the tone for his moral formation. —Olaf Blecker, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024

Here it was used to replace the meat in the traditional Thai dish, Khao Soi Luang-Prabang. —Leah Collins, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mete "food, meal," going back to Old English, going back to Germanic *mati- (whence Old Saxon meti, mat "food," Old High German maz, Old Norse matr, Gothic mats), perhaps going back to Indo-European *mod-i-, derivative of a verbal base *med- "become full," whence Greek mestós "full, satiated"

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing meat

• dark meat
• dead meat
• luncheon meat
• lunch meat
• meat and potatoes
• meat-ax
• meat loaf
• meat market
• meat sweats
• red meat
• variety meat
• white meat

Kids Definition

meat

noun

ˈmēt 

1

a

: something eaten for nourishment

especially : solid food as distinguished from drink

b

: the edible part of something as distinguished from the covering (as a shell or husk)

walnut meat

2

: animal and especially mammal flesh used as food