Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Meet, vb. (impf. and partic. met) 1) to encounter, to come face to face, by going in different directions; trans.: “I met her deity cutting the clouds,” Tp. IV, 92. “Friar Laurence met them both,” Gent. V, 2, 37. “I would my husband would m. him in this shape,” Wiv. IV, 2, 86. Wiv. IV, 2, 86 Err. IV, 2, 56. IV, 3, 1. V, 152. Ado II, 1, 46. Mcb. V, 2, 6. Ant. I, 5, 61 etc. == to go the way by which another is coming, in order to salute and join him: “they are going to m. him,” Wiv. IV, 3, 3. “they are gone but to m. the duke,” IV, 5, 72. “him I'll desire to m. me at the consecrated fount,” Meas. IV, 3, 102. Meas. IV, 3, 102 IV, 4, 6. “his purpose --s you,” Troil. IV, 1, 36. “thou shalt be met with thanks,” Tim. V, 1, 164. Metaphorically: “met your loves in their own fashion,” LLL V, 2, 793. “have I with all my full affections still met the king?” H8 III, 1, 130. “let us m. them like necessities,” H4B III, 1, 93; cf. “and m. the time as it seeks us,” Cymb. IV, 3, 33.
2) to encounter as an enemy; trans.: “breasted the surge that met him,” Tp. II, 1, 117. “I shall m. your wit in the career,” Ado V, 1, 135. “run to m. displeasure,” John V, 1, 60. “our party may well m. a prouder foe,” John V, 1, 60 “m. him,” R2 I, 1, 63. “I dare m. Surrey in a wilderness,” IV, 74. H4B IV, 1, 16. H6A III, 4, 43. IV, 2, 27 etc. etc. Intr.: “whose ridges with the --ing clouds contend,” Ven. 820. “he and I shall m.” Ado V, 1, 196. “where two raging fires m. together,” Shr. II, 133. “two desperate men which in the very --ing fall,” John III, 1, 33. R2 III, 3, 54. H4A I, 1, 12. H6A I, 3, 81. H6A I, 3, 81 IV, 1, 22. H6C II, 1, 120 etc. Followed by with: “we must prepare to m. with Caliban,” Tp. IV, 166. “the king with mighty and quick-raised power --s with Lord Harry,” H4A IV, 4, 13. “I must go and m. with danger there,” H4B II, 3, 48.
3) to join, to come in contact: “they all have met again and are upon the Mediterranean flote,” Tp. I, 2, 233. “is leaning cheek to cheek nothing? is --ing noses?” Wint. I, 2, 285 (O. Edd. meating); cf. “they met so near with their lips,” Oth. II, 1, 265. “powers from home and discontents at home m. in one line,” John IV, 3, 152. “many ways m. in one town,” H5 I, 2, 208. “by the conflux of --ing sap,” Troil. I, 3, 7. Hence == to concur, to operate together: “both our inventions m. and jump in one,” Shr. I, 1, 195. “when means and lavish manners m. together,” H4B IV, 4, 64. “patience perforce with wilful choler --ing makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting,” Rom. I, 5, 91. “all three do m. in thee at once,” III, 3, 120. “when these prodigies do so conjointly m.” Caes. I, 3, 29. “how rarely does it m. with this time's guise, when man was wished to love his enemies,” Tim. IV, 3, 472.
4) to find, to light on, and hence to get, to gain, to experience; trans.: “when thou dost m. good hap,” Gent. I, 1, 15. “should m. the blow of justice,” Meas. II, 2, 30. “when in the streets he --s such golden gifts,” Err. III, 2, 188. “you are come to m. your trouble,” Ado I, 1, 97. “I cannot m. my Hermia,” Mids. II, 1, 193. “if I could m. that fancy-monger,” As III, 2, 382. “I'll beat him, if I can m. him,” All's II, 3, 253. All's II, 3, 253 “--ing the check of such another day,” H4A V, 5, 42. “by what bypaths I met this crown,” H4B IV, 5, 186. “how soon this mightiness --s misery,” H4B IV, 5, 186. “would I could m. that rogue Diomed,” Troil. V, 2, 190. “when we may profit m.” Tim. V, 1, 45. “m. the old course of death,” Lr. III, 7, 101. “he was met even now as mad as the vexed sea,” IV, 4, 1. “you'll never m. a more sufficient man,” Oth. III, 4, 91. “m. reproach,” IV, 1, 48. Intr., followed by with: “cry out for thee, but they ne'er m. with Opportunity,” Lucr. 903. though they (flowers) “with winter m.” Sonn. 5, 13. “if that flower with base infection m.” 94, 11. “--ing with Salerio by the way,” Merch. III, 2, 231. “--ing with an old religious man,” As V, 4, 166. “elsewhere they m. with charity,” Shr. IV, 3, 6. “thou mettest with things dying, I with things newborn,” Wint. III, 3, 117. “hath now himself met with the fall of leaf,” R2 III, 4, 49. “if they m. not with Saint Nicholas' clerks,” H4A II, 1, 67. “I muse we met not with the Dauphin's grace,” H6A II, 2, 19. “hast thou met with him?” Rom. II, 5, 19. “when Caesar's wife shall m. with better dreams,” Caes. II, 2, 99.
5) to come together: the principal men of the army --ing one evening, Lucr. Arg. Caes. II, 2, 99 would I flame distinctly, “then m. and join,” Tp. I, 2, 201. “nor befitting this first --ing,” V, 165. “where m. we?” Gent. IV, 2, 84. “at the very instant of Falstaff's and our --ing,” Wiv. V, 3, 16. “ere the ships could m.” Err. I, 1, 101. Ado I, 1, 63. As V, 2, 121. All's IV, 5, 92. Tw. V, 172. Troil. IV, 2, 73. Tim. III, 4, 3. Mcb. I, 1, 1. Hml. II, 2, 216 etc. == to see each other after a long absence: “both stood, like old acquaintance in a trance, met far from home,” Lucr. 1596. “these are the parents to these children, which accidentally are met together,” Err. V, 361. “O my gentle brothers, have we thus met?” Cymb. V, 5, 375. == to have a rendezvous: “another embassy of --ing,” Wiv. III, 5, 132. “we could never m.” V, 5, 121. == to assemble in council: “therefore we m. not now,” H4A I, 1, 30. “are summoned to m. anon,” Cor. II, 3, 152. “and m. in the hall together,” Mcb. II, 3, 140. to be met == to be assembled: “as Falstaff, she and I are newly met,” Wiv. IV, 4, 52. “are we all met?” Mids. III, 1, 1. “a crew of patches were met together,” III, 2, 11. “when the parties were met,” As V, 4, 105. “wherefore we are met,” H5 V, 2, 1. R3 III, 4, 1. H8 V, 3, 2. Per. V, 1, 243. “many of the consuls, raised and met, are at the duke's,” Oth. I, 2, 43. -- Having with after it: “and m. with me upon the rising . . .,” Gent. V, 2, 45. “Falstaff at that oak shall m. with us,” Wiv. IV, 4, 42. “I'll m. with you upon the mart,” Err. I, 2, 27. “in the instant that I met with you,” IV, 1, 9. “to-morrow will I m. with thee,” Mids. I, 1, 178. “there to m. with Macbeth,” Mcb. I, 1, 7 etc.
Used in the partic., joined with an adverb, as a kind of salutation: “you are well met,” As III, 3, 65. Shr. I, 2, 164. Wint. V, 2, 139. H8 IV, 1, 1. Cor. IV, 2, 11. “you are very well met,” Wiv. I, 1, 200. As III, 3, 75. “you are fortunately met,” Mids. IV, 1, 182. “you are happily met,” Shr. IV, 4, 19. “you are kindly met,” Tim. III, 2, 30. Elliptically: “fairly met,” Meas. V, 1. H5 V, 2, 10. “happily met,” Shr. IV, 5, 59. Rom. IV, 1, 18. “ill met by moonlight, proud Titania,” Mids. II, 1, 60. “well met,” Wiv. III, 2, 9. Err. IV, 3, 45. As V, 3, 7. John II, 1. IV, 3, 21. R2 II, 2, 41. H5 II, 1, 1. R3 II, 3, 1. III, 2, 110. IV, 1, 5. H8 I, 1, 1. II, 2, 13. Tim. III, 4, 1. Oth. II, 1, 214. Ant. II, 6, 57. “exceedingly well met,” LLL III, 145. “heartily well met,” Cor. IV, 3, 53. “very well met,” Meas. IV, 1, 26.
Transitively, == to be with, to go to, to come together with: “how hast thou met us here?” Tp. V, 136. “bid him make haste and m. me at the North-gate,” Gent. III, 1, 258. “where shall I m. you?” IV, 3, 43. “the hour that Silvia should m. me,” V, 1, 3. “engrossed opportunities to m. her,” Wiv. II, 2, 204. “m. the senate,” Cor. II, 3, 149. “I shall not dine at home; I m. the captains at the citadel,” Oth. III, 3, 59. Wiv. IV, 4, 18. Meas. I, 2, 76. Err. III, 1, 7. Err. III, 1, 7 Ado V, 1, 152. Mids. I, 1, 166. John IV, 3, 11 etc. go m. the French == go to the French, John V, 1, 5. “I will go m. them,” Troil. IV, 2, 72. “I will go m. the ladies,” Cor. V, 4, 55. “I go to m. the noble Brutus,” Caes. V, 3, 73. “I will go m. him,” Oth. III, 4, 138 (== go to him, seek him).
6) to come to an assembly, to appear, to be present: “'tis past the hour that Sir Hugh promised to m.” Wiv. II, 3, 5. “much upon this time have I promised here to m.” Meas. IV, 1, 18. “as you love Rosalind, m., and as I love no woman, I'll m.” As V, 2, 129.