Meet vs. Exceed: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 5, 2023
"Meet" means to fulfill or satisfy a requirement, expectation, or condition. "Exceed" means to go beyond what is required, expected, or stipulated.
Key Differences
"Meet" and "exceed" are both verbs that relate to how well one complies with standards, expectations, or conditions. "Meet" indicates the minimum level of compliance, essentially fulfilling or satisfying what is asked or required. In contrast, "exceed" implies surpassing the given standards or expectations, going beyond mere compliance.
"Meet" can have a range of contexts including social encounters, achievement goals, or even fulfilling prerequisites. "Exceed" is often used in performance assessments or financial contexts to indicate a level of achievement or value greater than what was planned or anticipated.
Grammatically, "meet" and "exceed" function similarly as transitive verbs that require objects to complete their meanings. They can both be modified by adverbs to indicate the extent to which something meets or exceeds an expectation, such as "barely meet" or "greatly exceed."
In summary, while both "meet" and "exceed" relate to standards or expectations, "meet" suggests adequacy and sufficiency, whereas "exceed" suggests a surplus or going above and beyond what is required or expected.
Comparison Chart
Meaning
To fulfill or satisfy
To go beyond
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Contexts
Social, goals, prerequisites
Performance, value
Grammatical Role
Transitive verb
Transitive verb
Modifiers
Can be modified by adverbs
Can be modified by adverbs
Examples
Meet deadlines, meet someone
Exceed expectations, exceed limits
Meet and Exceed Definitions
Meet
To satisfy conditions
He didn't meet the criteria.
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Exceed
To excel
He exceeds in every sport he plays.
Meet
To come into contact
The two lines meet at the point.
Exceed
To surpass limits
She exceeded the speed limit.
Meet
To face something
She met adversity bravely.
Exceed
To be greater than
Demand exceeded supply.
Meet
To come into the presence of by chance or arrangement
I was surprised to meet an old friend in the park. I met a friend for coffee.
Exceed
To outdo expectations
The performance exceeded our expectations.
Meet
To come into the company of
I met my colleagues for a meeting.
Exceed
To go beyond what's allowed
His actions exceeded his authority.
Meet
To be introduced to; make the acquaintance of
Have you met my wife?.
Exceed
To be greater than, as in number or degree; surpass
A fortune that exceeds ten million dollars.
Demand that exceeded supply.
Meet
To come together or confront in opposition
The rival teams meet next week.
Exceed
To go beyond the limits of
I exceeded my allowance. The car exceeded the speed limit.
Meet
To be present at the arrival of
Met the train.
Exceed
To be better than or superior to
A material that exceeds all others in durability.
Meet
To come into conjunction with; join or touch
Where the road meets the highway.
Exceed
(transitive) To be larger, greater than (something).
The company's 2005 revenue exceeds that of 2004.
Meet
To come into conformity with the views, wishes, or opinions of
The firm has done its best to meet us on that point.
Exceed
(transitive) To be better than (something).
The quality of her essay has exceeded my expectations.
Meet
To come to the notice of (the senses)
There is more here than meets the eye.
Exceed
(transitive) To go beyond (some limit); to surpass; to be longer than.
Your password cannot exceed eight characters.
Meet
To experience or undergo
He met his fate with courage. The project has met a setback.
Exceed
(intransitive) To predominate.
Meet
To be sufficient for (a need, for example); fulfill
Meet all the conditions in the contract.
Exceed
To go too far; to be excessive.
Meet
To deal or contend with effectively
We can meet each problem as it arises.
Exceed
To go beyond; to proceed beyond the given or supposed limit or measure of; to outgo; to surpass; - used both in a good and a bad sense; as, one man exceeds another in bulk, stature, weight, power, skill, etc.; one offender exceeds another in villainy; his rank exceeds yours.
Name the time, but let it notExceed three days.
Observes how much a chintz exceeds mohair.
Meet
To pay; settle
Enough money to meet expenses.
Exceed
To go too far; to pass the proper bounds or measure.
Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed.
Meet
To come together
Didn't recognize him when we met. Where should we meet for lunch?.
Exceed
To be more or greater; to be paramount.
Meet
To come into conjunction; be joined
The two pipes meet in the corner.
Exceed
Go beyond;
Their loyalty exceeds their national bonds
Meet
To come together as opponents; contend
The team met with its rival.
Exceed
Go beyond;
She exceeded our expectations
She topped her performance of last year
Meet
To become introduced
Where did the two of you meet?.
Exceed
Be or do something to a greater degree;
Her performance surpasses that of any other student I know
She outdoes all other athletes
This exceeds all my expectations
This car outperforms all others in its class
Meet
To assemble
Protesters met in the square.
Meet
To occur together, especially in one person or entity
Suspense and intrigue meet in this new movie.
Meet
A meeting or contest, especially an athletic competition.
Meet
Fitting; proper
"It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place" (Shakespeare).
Meet
To make contact (with) while in proximity.
Meet
To come face to face with by accident; to encounter.
Fancy meeting you here! Guess who I met at the supermarket today?
Meet
To come face to face with someone by arrangement.
Let's meet at the station at 9 o'clock.
Meet
To get acquainted with someone.
I'm pleased to meet you! I'd like you to meet a colleague of mine.
I met my husband through a mutual friend at a party. It wasn't love at first sight; in fact, we couldn't stand each other at first!
Meet
(Of groups) To come together.
Meet
To gather for a formal or social discussion; to hold a meeting.
I met with them several times. The government ministers met today to start the negotiations.
Meet
To come together in conflict.
Meet
(sports) To play a match.
England and Holland will meet in the final.
Meet
To make physical or perceptual contact.
Meet
To converge and finally touch or intersect.
The two streets meet at a crossroad half a mile away.
Meet
To touch or hit something while moving.
The right wing of the car met the column in the garage, leaving a dent.
Meet
To adjoin, be physically touching.
The carpet meets the wall at this side of the room. The forest meets the sea along this part of the coast.
Meet
(transitive) To respond to (an argument etc.) with something equally convincing; to refute.
He met every objection to the trip with another reason I should go.
Meet
To satisfy; to comply with.
This proposal meets my requirements. The company agrees to meet the cost of any repairs.
Meet
(intransitive) To balance or come out correct.
Meet
To perceive; to come to a knowledge of; to have personal acquaintance with; to experience; to suffer.
The eye met a horrid sight. He met his fate.
Meet
To be mixed with, to be combined with aspects of.
Meet
(sports) A sports competition, especially for track and field or swimming.
Track meet
Swim meet
Meet
(hunting) A gathering of riders, horses and hounds for foxhunting; a field meet for hunting.
Meet
(rail transport) A meeting of two trains in opposite directions on a single track, when one is put into a siding to let the other cross.
Meet
(informal) A meeting.
OK, let's arrange a meet with Tyler and ask him.
Meet
(algebra) The greatest lower bound, an operation between pairs of elements in a lattice, denoted by the symbol ∧.
Meet
(archaic) Suitable; right; proper.
Meet
To join, or come in contact with; esp., to come in contact with by approach from an opposite direction; to come upon or against, front to front, as distinguished from contact by following and overtaking.
Meet
To come in collision with; to confront in conflict; to encounter hostilely; as, they met the enemy and defeated them; the ship met opposing winds and currents.
Meet
To come into the presence of without contact; to come close to; to intercept; to come within the perception, influence, or recognition of; as, to meet a train at a junction; to meet carriages or persons in the street; to meet friends at a party; sweet sounds met the ear.
His daughter came out to meet him.
Meet
To perceive; to come to a knowledge of; to have personal acquaintance with; to experience; to suffer; as, the eye met a horrid sight; he met his fate.
Of vice or virtue, whether blest or curst,Which meets contempt, or which compassion first.
Meet
To come up to; to be even with; to equal; to match; to satisfy; to ansver; as, to meet one's expectations; the supply meets the demand.
Meet
To come together by mutual approach; esp., to come in contact, or into proximity, by approach from opposite directions; to join; to come face to face; to come in close relationship; as, we met in the street; two lines meet so as to form an angle.
O, when meet nowSuch pairs in love and mutual honor joined !
Meet
To come together with hostile purpose; to have an encounter or conflict.
Weapons more violent, when next we meet,May serve to better us and worse our foes.
Meet
To assemble together; to congregate; as, Congress meets on the first Monday of December.
They . . . appointed a day to meet together.
Meet
To come together by mutual concessions; hence, to agree; to harmonize; to unite.
We met with many things worthy of observation.
Prepare to meet with more than brutal furyFrom the fierce prince.
Meet
An assembling together; esp., the assembling of huntsmen for the hunt; also, the persons who so assemble, and the place of meeting.
Meet
Suitable; fit; proper; appropriate; qualified; convenient.
It was meet that we should make merry.
Meet
Meetly.
Meet
A meeting at which a number of athletic contests are held
Meet
Come together;
I'll probably see you at the meeting
How nice to see you again!
Meet
Get together socially or for a specific purpose
Meet
Be adjacent or come together;
The lines converge at this point
Meet
Fill or meet a want or need
Meet
Satisfy a condition or restriction;
Does this paper meet the requirements for the degree?
Meet
Satisfy or fulfill;
Meet a need
This job doesn't match my dreams
Meet
Get to know; get acquainted with;
I met this really handsome guy at a bar last night!
We met in Singapore
Meet
Collect in one place;
We assembled in the church basement
Let's gather in the dining room
Meet
Meet by design; be present at the arrival of;
Can you meet me at the train station?
Meet
Contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle;
Princeton plays Yale this weekend
Charlie likes to play Mary
Meet
Experience as a reaction;
My proposal met with much opposition
Meet
Undergo or suffer;
Meet a violent death
Suffer a terrible fate
Meet
Be in direct physical contact with; make contact;
The two buildings touch
Their hands touched
The wire must not contact the metal cover
The surfaces contact at this point
Meet
Being precisely fitting and right;
It is only meet that she should be seated first
Meet
To encounter
I will meet you at the park.
FAQs
Can "meet" imply failure?
No, "meet" indicates sufficiency or fulfilling what is required.
Can "exceed" have negative implications?
Yes, "exceeding" limits or authority can be seen as negative.
Can you "meet" a challenge?
Yes, meeting a challenge means successfully handling it.
Is "meet" only for social contexts?
No, "meet" can also mean to satisfy conditions or criteria.
Can you "exceed" in a skill?
Yes, you can exceed in a skill, meaning you are exceptionally good at it.
Is "exceed" only about quantity?
No, it can also relate to quality, as in exceeding expectations.
What's the opposite of "exceed"?
To fall short or to be less than are opposites.
What does it mean to "exceed expectations"?
It means to perform better than what was expected.
Can "meet" be used in the future tense?
Yes, as in "We will meet tomorrow."
What's the opposite of "meet"?
Fail to meet, miss, or fall short are opposites.
Is "meet up" the same as "meet"?
"Meet up" is informal and implies a casual social gathering.
What does "meet and greet" mean?
It's a social event for the purpose of introduction or networking.
Can "meet" have multiple meanings?
Yes, "meet" can mean to encounter, satisfy conditions, or assemble.
Can "exceed" be used as an adjective?
No, "exceed" is primarily a verb.
Can "exceed" be used without an object?
No, "exceed" is a transitive verb and requires an object.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
