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
Leslie Kelly, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The streaming era has prioritized breaking from, or at least playing around with, TV norms, but these kinds of meat-and-potatoes offerings can be as satisfying as shows with wilder ambitions.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025
Josh Miller, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
That’s meat and potatoes y’all.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meat-and-potatoes
Adjective
These preparations go beyond the meat-and-potatoes approach, bringing a worldview to the table in memorable ways.
—Leslie Kelly, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The streaming era has prioritized breaking from, or at least playing around with, TV norms, but these kinds of meat-and-potatoes offerings can be as satisfying as shows with wilder ambitions.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025
Plural noun
Save as a collection on MyRecipes To some, the definition of a comforting dinner is meat and potatoes.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
That’s meat and potatoes y’all.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for meat-and-potatoes
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meat-and-potatoes
Adjective
-
Crown Princess Amalia, the heir to the Dutch throne, completed her basic military training last month as a volunteer reservist in the army.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
College faculty are then forced to spend instructional time reteaching basic math and writing, which detracts from the advanced material a college course is meant to deliver.—
Andrea Mays,
Oc Register,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2020, the district moved to a fully dual language model for elementary students, meaning all students learned in both English and Spanish, according to East Aurora Executive Director of Language Acquisition and Early Learning Rita Guzman, unless their parents opted out.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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The native San Diegan spent his elementary years between Albuquerque, New Mexico and San Diego.—
Cyril A. Reinicke,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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At the introductory news conference for Suárez 10 days ago, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow harped on the need to add a strong defensive infielder.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Davis has often had some famous friends introduce him before his introductory speech kicks off the evening, but this year was particularly special as former president Barack Obama recorded a video to honor the executive.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
However, the basic formation of training sets—the systematic classification of images—still relies on startlingly rudimentary, tedious, and time-intensive microtasks performed by precarious workers.—
Farren Fei Yuan,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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Stanton treats the exchange in such rudimentary, flat fashion that any connection between us and the character is lost.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The same holds true of imagination and invention, fundamental traits that enable creativity that AI cannot match.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, assisted reproductive technologies have become more advanced, automated and accessible, the researchers say, yet fundamental biological questions about reproduction remain unanswered, particularly for long-duration missions.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meat-and-potatoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meat-and-potatoes. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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