meta

/ˈmɛtə/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: metas · metae

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Clipping of metagame. — An informal but widely adopted practice in a given field; a de facto standard.

Noun

Examples

Each video sharing platform's community has a meta on how long videos should be.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Self-referential; structured analogously (structured by relationships), but at a higher level.

AdjectiveRegister: informal

Examples

Suppose you have a genie that grants you three wishes. If you wish for infinite wishes, that is a meta wish.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

Prominent in the metagame; effective and frequently used in competitive gameplay.

Adjective

Examples

I don't think the character will be meta even with the recent buffs.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

Boundary marker.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “meta” mean?

Clipping of metagame. — An informal but widely adopted practice in a given field; a de facto standard.

Is “meta” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.