as in basic
of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject
a meat-and-potatoes knowledge of figure skating is all that a spectator really needs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in root
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
an article that never gets into the meat and potatoes of a solution to the city's rising crime rate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of meat-and-potatoes
Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 May 2025
The only cooking required is the hands-off step of simmering the farro, and the combination of flavors and textures will likely win over even the most meat-and-potatoes of diners.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
The bistro's staying power might have something to do with its ability to please the young and the old – the gourmet crowd and the fussy meat and potatoes stalwarts.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meat-and-potatoes
Adjective
Before long, former Top Chef champ Cécile is back slinging meat-and-potatoes at her parents’ roadside truck stop and rekindling old flames with her country-boy ex, Raphaël (Bastien Bouillon).
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 May 2025
The only cooking required is the hands-off step of simmering the farro, and the combination of flavors and textures will likely win over even the most meat-and-potatoes of diners.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2025
Plural noun
That’s meat and potatoes y’all.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
The bistro's staying power might have something to do with its ability to please the young and the old – the gourmet crowd and the fussy meat and potatoes stalwarts.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meat-and-potatoes
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meat-and-potatoes
Adjective
-
In March 2025, Chelsea gave PEOPLE an exclusive update on Max's health journey, explaining that their son has had to relearn basic functions and attend physical therapy.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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Those wanting to stream the show live can do so with a Peacock premium subscription or stream new episodes the next day with a basic Peacock subscription.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
At Nashoba Public School, in a rural part of southeast Oklahoma where there’s little else but timber and twisting roads, the roughly 50 kids who make up the elementary and middle grades are taught in split-grade classrooms.—
Jennifer Smith Richards,
ProPublica,
22 Oct. 2025
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After more or less abandoning philosophy at the end of the First World War, Ludwig trained to be an elementary-school teacher, spent time as a gardener’s assistant in a monastery, and then taught in small towns in rural Austria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Onward and upward By the end of its introductory episodes, Dispatch has successfully employed the traditional two-part pilot structure most sitcoms need to lay their groundwork.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
22 Oct. 2025
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Sign up today with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 20% off.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His clips are pretty rudimentary tributes to guys like Thomas Sankara, the former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, shouting them out with highlight reels and songs by 100 gecs and Jersey club collective TwerkNation28.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Adelman has no intention of limiting the Lithuanian center to such a rudimentary style, though.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But the writers, like Noah and Joanne, are ignoring that fundamental fork in the road in favor of inane high jinks from the couple and their increasingly irksome friends and family.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
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Despite its success in describing the fundamental building blocks of matter, the Standard Model of particle physics cannot account for the discrepancy seen between matter and antimatter.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meat-and-potatoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meat-and-potatoes. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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