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

Example Sentences

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

Opt for white turkey meat (such as the breast) and skip the skin, which contains more saturated fat. —Kathleen Felton, Health, 9 Mar. 2023

The United States produces more than nine billion chickens per year for meat alone. —Emily Anthes, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023

The wild animal is savagely killed off-camera by humans starved for meat — a disturbing occurrence that may have been more forgivable, given the circumstances, had some of the castaways not celebrated the violence. —Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2023

Looking like an anteater straight out of Game of Thrones, these scaly-skinned mammals are hunted for meat and prized for their scales, which are used in traditional Chinese practices. —Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 16 Feb. 2023

To make the filling: To grind the pork, make sure the meat is very cold. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2023

In homes where meat and fish were too expensive to procure, pancakes served as culinary staples that could be eaten on the go or taken back to work. —Grace Linden, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023

Other empanadas and meat pies are decent but unremarkable, and the tamales are topped by those at some Latin American bakeries around town. —Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven cook and stir ground beef, green pepper, onion, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain off any excess fat. —Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2023

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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

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

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

See More

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