meeting
/ˈmiːtɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiːtɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmē-tiŋ/ (ame, mw)
meeting — noun
- meetingsingular
- meetingsplural
1. A planned event where people gather, either in the same room or through video ca
A planned event where people gather, either in the same room or through video calls, to talk about a topic or make decisions.
The team has a meeting every Monday morning to plan the week's tasks.
hold/have a meeting — common verb collocation
Ada joined the video meeting from her kitchen table.
At the staff meeting, the principal announced new rules for the library.
Tomorrow's board meeting will cover the budget for next year.
- conference
larger-scale, often multi-day meeting, sometimes with formal presentations
- gathering
less formal than 'meeting'; can be social rather than work-related
- assembly
a large formal meeting of a whole group, often in schools or organizations
文法句型
hold/have/attend/call + meeting
meeting + about/on [topic]
用法筆記
Commonly paired with verbs like 'hold', 'have', 'call', 'schedule', 'attend', and 'run'. The preposition at usually appears before the type of meeting (e.g., 'at a staff meeting').
常見錯誤
2. A situation where people come into each other's company, whether by arrangement
A situation where people come into each other's company, whether by arrangement or unexpectedly.
My first meeting with Christopher happened years ago at a book fair.
first meeting with [someone] — first encounter
Their chance meeting at the airport led to a long friendship.
chance meeting — unplanned encounter collocation
The meeting between the old friends was full of laughter and warm hugs.
After a brief meeting in the hallway, Dr. Okafor agreed to look at Tara's report.
- encounter
slightly more formal; often implies something surprising or significant
- reunion
specifically a meeting after a long time apart
- rendezvous
a planned meeting rather than an accidental one; also more formal or romantic
文法句型
meeting with [someone]
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1, this sense does not imply a planned agenda. It can describe both arranged and accidental encounters. 'Chance meeting' is a common fixed expression for unplanned encounters.
常見錯誤
3. The people who have gathered for a planned discussion, thought of as a single gr
The people who have gathered for a planned discussion, thought of as a single group.
The entire meeting agreed that safety should come first.
the meeting as collective subject
A question from the meeting surprised the guest speaker.
The chairperson asked the meeting if anyone had further concerns.
Half the meeting had already left when the vote was called.
文法句型
the meeting + singular/plural verb
用法筆記
This sense treats the attendees as a collective body. British English typically uses a singular verb ('the meeting is…'), while a plural verb ('the meeting are…') is possible but less common.
常見錯誤
4. A sports competition where teams or individuals compete against each other, espe
A sports competition where teams or individuals compete against each other, especially in horse racing or athletics.
The next horse meeting at the racetrack starts in two weeks.
horse meeting — specific sport collocation
Our school won first place at the swimming meeting last Saturday.
[sport] + meeting — competition type
Jin trains hard every day for the upcoming athletics meeting.
The county sports meeting brings together athletes from twenty schools.
- competition
more general term; can apply to any contest, not just sports
- tournament
a series of matches with elimination rounds, larger scale than a single meeting
- meet
American English equivalent, especially for track and field
文法句型
[type of sport] + meeting
用法筆記
Primarily British English. In American English, 'meet' (noun) is more common for athletics competitions (e.g., 'a track meet'). For horse racing, 'race meeting' or simply 'meeting' is standard in both British and Australian English.