held a meeting

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "held a meeting" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to express that a group of people gathered together at a designated time and place to discuss a specific topic. For example: "The board of directors held a meeting to discuss the company's budget for the upcoming year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The Black Forum held a meeting on the issue a week ago.

The New York Times

Jacques held a meeting.

The New Yorker

and held a meeting that month.

The New Yorker

The Olympic committee held a meeting.

The Guardian

Recognizing a sinking ship, the Redskins held a meeting Monday.

The New York Times - Sports

The players then held a meeting on the team bus.

The New York Times - Sports

The elders of San Diego's Somali community held a meeting to condemn the attacks.

The New Yorker

After the procedure, the doctors held a meeting about the case.

The New York Times

"The Board of Directors held a meeting last night and decided that marmalade is fruit".

The New Yorker

It is months since the commission against corruption set up by Mr Stanishev held a meeting.

The Economist

The team held a meeting after Monday's loss to address a lack of focus and urgency.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use a more specific verb (e.g., convened, conducted, hosted) instead of "held a meeting" if you want to emphasize a particular aspect of the meeting, such as its formality, leadership, or location.

Common error

Avoid using "held a meeting" in a way that obscures who organized or led the meeting. For example, instead of "A meeting was held", specify who held the meeting for greater clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "held a meeting" functions as a verb phrase describing the action of organizing and conducting a formal gathering. Ludwig AI indicates it is grammatically correct and commonly used. The examples show its application across diverse contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

18%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Reference

2%

Academia

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "held a meeting" is a grammatically sound and common way to describe the action of organizing and conducting a formal gathering. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's widely used across various contexts, particularly in news and media. While versatile, consider using more specific alternatives like "convened", "conducted", or "organized" to emphasize particular aspects of the meeting. When using "held a meeting", ensure clarity about who organized the meeting and what its purpose was to avoid ambiguity and passive voice constructions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

convened a meeting

Emphasizes the formal act of calling a meeting to order.

conducted a meeting

Highlights the act of managing or leading the meeting.

organized a meeting

Focuses on the planning and preparation involved in the meeting.

hosted a meeting

Emphasizes the act of providing the location and arrangements for the meeting.

presided over a meeting

Highlights the act of chairing or leading the meeting.

participated in a meeting

Shifts the focus to being a member present at the meeting.

attended a meeting

Simply indicates presence at the meeting.

scheduled a meeting

Highlights the act of arranging the time and place for the meeting.

called a meeting

Emphasizes the act of initiating or summoning the meeting.

arranged a meeting

Focuses on the act of making plans and preparations for the meeting.

FAQs

How can I use "held a meeting" in a sentence?

You can use "held a meeting" to describe the act of organizing and conducting a formal gathering. For example, "The committee "held a meeting" to discuss the new policy".

What are some alternatives to "held a meeting"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "convened a meeting", "conducted a meeting", or "organized a meeting" to provide more specific detail about the gathering.

Is it correct to say "was held a meeting" instead of "held a meeting"?

No, "was held a meeting" is grammatically incorrect. The correct phrasing is ""held a meeting"", which uses the active voice.

What's the difference between "held a meeting" and "attended a meeting"?

"Held a meeting" implies organizing or leading the meeting, while "attended a meeting" simply means being present at the meeting. The first implies leadership and the second implies participation.