red meat

noun

1

: meat (such as beef) that is red when raw

2

: something substantial that can satisfy a basic need or appetite

… hungry for the red meat of passionate partisanship …

—William Safire

Examples of red meat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are real downsides to overdoing it, particularly when the extra protein comes from red meat and saturated fats. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026

The recent criminal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center, an antiextremism organization, is best understood as another instance of DOJ throwing red meat to MAGA. —Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026

Among the stacks of beef boxes and red meat cuts hanging from metal hooks, chicken and pork are increasingly present. —Clara Preve, Fortune, 16 May 2026

But with fat’s waning popularity, Americans were eager to ditch those thick hunks of red meat for lighter poultry. —Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1760, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for red meat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

Kids Definition

red meat

noun

: meat (as beef) that is red when raw