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)

coconut meat

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 : jam sense 6b

meated

ˈmē-təd 

adjective

meatless adjective

Synonyms of meat

• 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

It might be pondered, for example, by people who love pets, consider the ethics of eating meat, or worry about the biosphere. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026

Three days later, body parts believed to be hers were recovered at a house in the city’s Tai Po district, where police also found a meat slicer, an electric saw, and some clothing. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

The moon’s name refers to the time of year when hunters track and kill prey to stockpile meat for winter. — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026

The meat section was roughly as large as one grocery store aisle, yet the available meats could have all fit on just four to five shelves. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026

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 sauce
• meat sweats
• red meat
• variety meat
• white meat

Rhymes for meat

• beat
• beet
• bleat
• cheat
• cleat
• creat
• deet
• eat
• feat
• feet
• fleet
• greet

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