meetings

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   events where people come together to talk about something or make decisions

   Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is 'meeting'. Use 'a' or numbers with the singular: a meeting, two meetings.

   Patterns

   • have meetings
   • attend meetings
   • hold meetings
   • meetings with someone

   We have two meetings every Monday morning.

   The manager canceled all meetings for the rest of the week.

   She attends meetings with clients in different cities.

2. 2nounplural

   chance encounters or gatherings of people who come together by accident or for a purpose

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'chance meetings' or 'brief meetings'.

   Patterns

   • chance meetings
   • brief meetings
   • unexpected meetings

   Their chance meetings at the coffee shop became a regular thing.

   The conference was full of brief meetings in the hallways.

   Unexpected meetings with old friends can be very happy.

Word forms

Common combinations

hold meetings

The club holds meetings on the first Friday of each month.

attend meetings

All staff must attend meetings on safety.

schedule meetings

I need to schedule meetings with three different teams.

cancel meetings

The storm forced us to cancel meetings for the day.

back-to-back meetings

He had back-to-back meetings all afternoon.

Synonyms and how they differ

gatherings

This is more general and can be social, while 'meetings' usually suggests a purpose such as discussing work.

conferences

These are larger, more formal meetings, often lasting a whole day or more.

sessions

This often refers to a part of a larger event, such as a training session, not a full meeting.

Word family

meet verb

to come together with someone

meeting noun

a single event where people come together

Commonly confused: meetings or meeting?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “meetings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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