Meaning & use
meet a deadline
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
To finish a task or hand something in by the time you were required to.
Grammar: The verb changes but the noun stays: she met the deadline; we are meeting the deadline.
Patterns
- meet a deadline for something
- meet the deadline
We worked all weekend to meet the deadline.
If you cannot meet the deadline, tell your manager early.
The team managed to meet a tight deadline for the product launch.
Word forms
| third person singular | meets a deadline |
|---|---|
| past tense | met a deadline |
| past participle | met a deadline |
| -ing form | meeting a deadline |
Common combinations
- fail to meet a deadline
- The contractor failed to meet the deadline for the repairs.
- struggle to meet a deadline
- Students often struggle to meet deadlines during exams.
- meet a tight deadline
- Meeting a tight deadline requires careful planning.
- meet the filing deadline
- You must meet the filing deadline to receive the refund.
- barely meet a deadline
- We barely met the deadline and sent the report at midnight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- make a deadline
- Make a deadline is more casual and is common in speech, whereas meet is slightly more formal.
- hit a deadline
- Hit a deadline is informal and suggests finishing right at the limit.
- beat a deadline
- Beat a deadline means finishing before the limit, which is stronger than simply meeting it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: meet a deadline or catch a deadline?
meet a deadline vs catch a deadline
Catch a deadline is not standard English; learners should use meet instead.
Practice
The editor was pleased that the writers were able to ___ the deadline.
Choose one answer.
Meet is the verb that normally goes with deadline. Catch, reach and hold are not the natural collocation here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meet a deadline”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.