Past Tense of Meet
“Meet” follows the pattern meet → met → met. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. This guide concerns the verb “meet.” Noun uses such as a sports meet, and capitalized abbreviations or proper-name uses of “Met,” are separate.
The simple past and past participle of “meet” are both “met.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed action in simple past | met | Use “met.” |
| past participle after have/has/had | met | Use “met.” |
| present/base-form context | meet | Use “meet” when a past form is not required. |
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “meet”?
If yes: Use “met.”
If no: Use “meet” or the appropriate present form when the sentence is not past.
Caveat: Both simple past and past participle are “met.” This guide concerns the verb “meet.” Noun uses such as a sports meet, and capitalized abbreviations or proper-name uses of “Met,” are separate.
Examples
We met outside the station yesterday.
“Met” is the simple past of the verb.
I have met her twice before.
“Met” is the past participle after “have.”
They meet every Friday afternoon.
The present form is “meet.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “met” for both the simple past and the past participle.
Fast Test
If the sentence needs a past form or participle, choose “met”; use “meet” or the appropriate present form in present-time contexts.
Usage Boundary
Both simple past and past participle are “met.” This guide concerns the verb “meet.” Noun uses such as a sports meet, and capitalized abbreviations or proper-name uses of “Met,” are separate.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- MEET Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Merriam-Webster records met as the inflected past form of meet.
- MEET | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge records met as both the past tense and past participle of meet.