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
Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Amaya Battle is a meat-and-potatoes basketball player.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
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
Wahlberg was a 20-something bad boy who took a more meat-and-potatoes (or Peter Berg and Peter Berg) route to popular success.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Amaya Battle is a meat-and-potatoes basketball player.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
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
-
Then again, the novel, a worldly form and rather proud of it, has good reason not to question the basic terms of our existence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Instead of bigger SUVs or higher trims — versions of a model with more features and elevated prices — many shoppers are sticking with simpler options like compact sedans, entry-level pickups or the most basic version on the dealer's lot.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Others in attendance had more specific local issues on their mind, like the city’s plan for a new jail, which is currently supposed to be located in the East Bottoms, near Frontier STEM High School and its elementary and middle feeder schools.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
2 May 2026
-
But this district — with seven elementary and two middle schools — is enduring a crippling strike, affecting about 3,400 students drawn from Santa Fe Springs and parts of Norwalk and Downey.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That archive of prints is in the process of being broken up for sale, and a few hundred of those boxes, including this set of 36 prints plus a clutch of introductory material and captions, have made their way to Daniel/Oliver, a gallery in East Williamsburg.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
28 Apr. 2026
-
At Fudd’s introductory press conference with the Wings on April 16, she was asked to comment on her off-court connection with Bueckers by a local reporter.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Embracing a visual vocabulary of the lowbrow and the rudimentary is a tried-and-true method of rebelling against a culture that feels vapid or corporatized.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
6 May 2026
-
The builders demonstrated a rudimentary understanding of engineering, deliberately placing each bone to exploit its natural geometry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The fundamental constants that determine the masses, charges, and interaction strengths between particles are universal as well.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
-
And so there's a fundamental lack of opportunity to learn the soft skills that a white collar employee needs.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Meat-and-potatoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meat-and-potatoes. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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