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mass meeting

mass meeting

2 3.4
A large public gathering where people meet to support or protest a cause
  • noun
  • /mæs ˈmiːtɪŋ/
translation icon : reunión masiva
  • The community organized a mass meeting to rally support for local environmental initiatives.
  • held a mass meeting
  • organized a mass meeting

Examples

  • In Selma, our pilgrimage host Joanne Bland took me back to Brown's Chapel, where in 1965 mass meetings had launched the Selma voting rights movement.

    Academic text (1999)
  • At the mass meeting that night, there was a crowd, and it was pumped.

    Academic text (2006)
  • There is now little doubt that this mass meeting will take place.

  • While the Committee of Safety was holding its mass meeting, the Committee of Law and Order held its meeting.

    Academic text (1992)
  • But you have not been to a mass meeting as this promises to be.

  • Two famous Black physicians were brought in from New York and Chicago to speak at two mass meetings.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The night before Medicare began, the hospital called a mass meeting.

    Blog text (8)
  • The assistant adjutant general attended another mass meeting with approximately six hundred people present.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Should the government limit the holding of political mass meetings and demonstrations to stabilize the situation in the country?

    Academic text (1997)
  • The following month, Macon's mechanics held a mass meeting to petition the Confederate Congress to exempt them from the draft.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

rally
vsmass meeting
384 3.8

A large public meeting to support an idea or group

is a large public event aimed at inspiring support more broadly
gathering
vsmass meeting
203 1.0

A meeting of people for a social or special purpose

is larger and aims to inspire public enthusiasm and support
assembly
vsmass meeting
162 2.5

A group of people who meet for a common purpose

is specifically a large public event meant to inspire strong support
meeting
vsmass meeting
73 1.0

The joining of two things to become one, like rivers or ideas

is a large public event intended to inspire support and enthusiasm
group meeting
vsmass meeting
8 2.2

A planned time when several people come together to talk about something

is a public event for inspiring broad support not a small discussion

How Large

mass meeting
2 3.4
rally
384 3.8
gathering
203 1.0
meeting
1.0

Surface Forms

mass meeting singular
mass meetings plural

Morphology

mass + meeting

The meaning 'a large public gathering' is directly compositional from 'mass' (a large accumulation) + 'meeting' (a planned convening). This straightforward noun-noun combination follows common compounding patterns (found in many languages) and involves no idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Mass meeting comes from the words mass, meaning a large crowd, and meeting, meaning a gathering. Imagine a town square full of people who have come together to hear speakers or support a cause, and that image explains why it means 'a large public gathering'.