1 : to see and speak to (someone) for the first time : to be introduced to or become acquainted with (someone) [+ obj] ▪ He met his wife at work. ▪ We met each other in college. ▪ Did you meet anyone interesting at the party? ▪ I'd like you to meet my good friend Bob. ▪ I'm happy/glad/pleased to meet you. = (informally) Pleased to meet you. ▪ It was nice meeting you. = It was a pleasure meeting you. = I'm happy/glad to have met you. [no obj] ▪ The couple met at a dance. ▪ We met in college. ▪ Have we met? You look familiar. ▪ Actually, we've already met.
2 a : to come together in order to talk : to go to a place to be with someone else [no obj] ▪ They met for drinks after work. ▪ We arranged to meet for lunch. ▪ Let's meet at the park. ▪ They meet together every week. ▪ We are meeting downtown tomorrow. [+ obj] ▪ I arranged to meet her for lunch. ▪ She said she'd meet me in/at the park. ▪ I'm being met by a friend at the airport. ▪ I'm planning to meet his plane at the airport. [=to be at the airport waiting for him when his plane arrives] b [no obj] : to come together formally : to have a meeting ▪ The club meets every Wednesday night. : to come together for a discussion ▪ We are meeting today to discuss the plans.
3 [+ obj] a : to see (someone) by chance ▪ I met [=ran into] an old friend at the store. ▪ I hope we'll meet again someday. b : to come near (someone or something) as you are passing by ▪ We only met one other car on the road.
4 : to face each other in a game, competition, war, etc. [no obj] ▪ The teams met in the finals last year. ▪ The candidates will meet for two debates. ▪ Two great armies met on the battlefield that day. [+ obj] ▪ The Boston Red Sox will meet the New York Yankees in a three-game series this weekend. ▪ The army was advancing to meet the enemy.
5 : to touch and join with or cross something else [+ obj] ▪ the point where the river meets the sea [no obj] ▪ the point where the river and the sea meet ▪ His jacket does not meet in front. [=the two sides of his jacket do not touch in the front; his jacket is too small]
6 [+ obj] a : to be equal to (something) : to match (something) ▪ The store promises to meet the price of any competitor. b : to succeed in doing or providing (something) ▪ They met all our demands. [=they did everything that we demanded] ▪ The restaurant didn't meet (our) expectations. [=it was not as good as we expected it to be] ▪ They haven't yet met the requirements for entry. [=they have not done what they must do for entry] c : to reach (something, such as a goal) ▪ They failed to meet their target/goals. ▪ The students here are expected to meet very high standards. : to succeed in doing what is required by (something) ▪ They met the challenge. ▪ We somehow managed to meet the deadline. ▪ The new policies are intended to help meet the growing demand for new housing. ▪ The company was unable to meet its payroll. [=the company was unable to pay its employees when it was supposed to] ▪ We have enough money to meet our needs. [=to pay for the things that we need] ▪ We work very hard to meet the needs of our customers. [=to provide our customers with what they need]
7 [+ obj] a : to experience or be affected by (something bad or unpleasant) ▪ They met defeat bravely. ▪ They met trouble on the way home. ▪ The proposal has met [=encountered] some opposition. [=there has been some opposition to the proposal] ▪ This is the place where he met his death. [=where he was killed; where he died] ▪ I hope they don't meet the fate of so many others in their situation. [=I hope the things that happen to others in their situation do not happen to them] b : to deal with or face (something) directly ▪ She met his glance/gaze without looking away. [=she looked directly at him as he looked at her] ◊When two people's eyes meet they look directly at each other. ▪ Their eyes met. = His eyes met hers. = He met her eyes.
8 [+ obj] : to be sensed by (the eyes, ears, etc.) ▪ We were shocked by the sight that met our eyes/gaze/view. [=we were shocked by what we saw] ▪ A distant murmur met his ear/ears. [=he heard a distant murmur] ▪ When they opened the door they were met by/with a shocking sight. [=they saw something shocking]