Akeem Lasisi
A good number of phrasal verbs include the preposition, ‘with’. Such are done with, get away with and bear with. Apart from the fact that they have fixed, meanings they should not be indiscriminately used, they can be confused with related single verbs that work alone. An example is the pair ‘met with’ and ‘met’, which do not always mean the same thing. Today, we shall discuss the difference between meeting a person and meeting with them.
Meet a person
‘Meet’ in this context can mean up to three things. It can refer to encountering them for the first time. It can mean a general meeting even when it is not the first time. The third is that it sometimes indicates a business or formal meeting. The following are examples for the possibilities:
I hope to meet the guy one day. (First time)
I’m meeting myfriend after dinner. (Not the first time)
The manager will meet the retailers on Friday. (Official or businesslike)
Meet with
This strictly indicates a formal or professional encounter particularly when used with a person. It is not suitable for first-meeting or general, non-business encounters. As a result, ‘meet with’ is often used for meetings that have been scheduled to discuss something, whereas ‘meet’ can be more spontaneous or casual:
Governor Sanwo-Olu said he would meet with his Ogun State counterpart over the issue.
I was present when the vice chancellor met with the freshers.
The customer said all efforts to have a meeting with the bank management proved futile.
Exceptions
As earlier noted, ‘meet’ can also convey business/like encounters:
The MD has met the suppliers.
He is happy that an opportunity has come for him to meet the commissioner.
Did he truly meet the DisCos officials before the light was restored?
As Britannica acknowledges, ‘meet with’ can also simply mean encounter. However, in this case you are only meeting with situations, not people. Here are examples from the dictionary:
The volunteers met with prejudice.
Our travel group met with difficulty at the border crossing.
The quartet met with a warm reception from the audience.
Warning
You don’t use ‘meet with’ when encountering someone for the first or in general terms:
I first met with my wife in London in 2001. (Wrong)
I met my wife in London in 2001. (Correct)
I’m going to meet with my friend over lunch at Sheraton. (Wrong)
I’m going to meet my friend over lunch at Sheraton. (Correct)
Punch
