What does meek mean?
Word: Meek
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Meek means quiet and gentle, and too ready to do what others say.
Synonyms: gentle, timid, humble
Antonyms: bold, fierce
How do you spell meek?
Syllables: meek
Tricky part: The long e sound is spelt ee. Because beak and speak use ea, children often write meak.
Watch out for: meke, meeke
Memory tip: A meek child stares down at their feet. Feet and meek both have ee, like two lowered eyes.
Idioms and Phrases
- as meek as a lamb: very quiet and gentle, not giving any trouble Example: "After the scolding, Rohan was as meek as a lamb."
Meek in a sentence
Example 1: The meek little boy did not complain when his seat was taken.
Example 2: She looked meek, but she argued well in the debate.
Example 3: The meek kitten hid behind its mother.
Fun Fact
Meek came into English from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings, where a similar word meant soft or gentle.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which of the following words does not rhyme with 'meek'?
a) unique
b) trek
c) peak
d) cheek
Show answer
b) trek. Trek is said with a short e; cheek, peak and unique end in a long eek.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) meek : bold
b) humble : proud
c) gentel : rough
d) quiet : noisy
Show answer
c) gentel : rough. Each pair is two opposites; gentle ends in le.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
emke
a) seven days in a row
b) to look for something
c) the part of the face below the eye
d) quiet, gentle and easily pushed around
Show answer
d) quiet, gentle and easily pushed around. Sorted, these letters give meek, not cheek, week or seek.
Word Fusion
Add the correct option to the following to make a new word:
meek___
a) lee
b) lie
c) ley
d) ly
Show answer
d) ly. Add ly to tell how someone acts: she nodded meekly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In 'the meek puppy', the word meek tells us about the puppy's ___.
a) colour
b) size
c) nature
d) age
Show answer
c) nature
2. Which sentence describes a meek person?
a) Chloe never speaks up, even when treated unfairly.
b) Chloe shouts at everyone in the class all day.
c) Chloe always pushes to be the class leader.
d) Chloe argues loudly about every single rule.
Show answer
a) Chloe never speaks up, even when treated unfairly.
