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meeting of minds

meeting of minds

2 4.2
Complete agreement and understanding between people that lets them work together
  • noun
translation icon : acuerdo
  • After hours of discussion, they finally reached a meeting of minds and decided to work together.

And they, they, they have this meeting of minds.

Examples

  • In Burke's account, it was the ennobling possibility of a "meeting of minds" cutting across social hierarchies that could transform a commercial transaction into something that Renaissance people would have understood as art patronage.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Riches (1994:26) stresses that communication involves the meeting of minds through actions, reactions, questions, and answers.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Is this a meeting of minds?

  • And she told me that her marriage with her husband had never been anything but a meeting of minds.

  • While being in the present moment, storytelling is a meeting of minds.

    Blog text (4)
  • It is about a meeting of minds, and you must each (or all) be engaged with each other for it to work.

    Blog text (5)
  • The time seems ripe now for a meeting of minds among scholars and professionals concerning the nature of the two major constructs: giftedness and talent.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Also, a meeting of minds is made difficult by Luther's concern for sin, while Catholics are preoccupied with sins.

    Academic text (1993)
  • These are also games in which, though secrecy may play a strategic role, there is some essential need for the signaling of intentions and the meeting of minds.

    Academic text (1998)
  • A "meeting of minds," which would "get everybody involved" within the school, was seen as necessary to implement more PA into the school (Mr. Marks, Julington Creek MS, classroom teacher; Mrs. Freder, Douglas Anderson ES, classroom teacher).

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

agreement
vsmeeting of minds
361 1.0

A situation in which people have the same opinion or give their approval

emphasizes full and active unity that results in cooperation
consensus
vsmeeting of minds
309 4.1

Agreement among a group of people about an idea or decision

refers to unanimous or complete agreement that drives cooperative action
common ground
vsmeeting of minds
76 3.2

Shared ideas or interests that help people agree and work together

represents the actual complete agreement rather than just the starting common basis
meeting
vsmeeting of minds
73 1.0

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

describes the resulting full agreement after people come together
accord
vsmeeting of minds
35 4.0

A situation in which people or groups agree with each other

is more about complete mutual consent that ensures cooperative action
concurrence
vsmeeting of minds
5 7.2

Agreement in opinion or plan among people

stresses total wholehearted agreement rather than mere shared opinion
mutual understanding
vsmeeting of minds
4 3.4

A situation where two or more people share the same feelings and ideas

expresses complete shared approval that causes cooperative behaviour
mind meld
vsmeeting of minds
  • Informal
2 7.9

A very close natural connection between two people that helps them understand each other's thoughts

focuses on full explicit agreement leading to cooperative action
common wavelength
vsmeeting of minds
  • Informal
3.9

A situation where people understand each other and agree

implies full explicit agreement rather than just easy understanding
convenance
vsmeeting of minds
  • Archaic
9.9

An agreement between people or groups reached after discussion

involves full shared agreement rather than negotiated compromise
sense of the meeting
vsmeeting of minds
6.4

An agreement by the people in a meeting without a formal vote

emphasizes full wholehearted agreement rather than a loose group conclusion

Antonyms

When someone does not understand something correctly and this causes a problem

135 4.1

To be against something or not agree with it

How United

unanimity
13 6.7
meeting of minds
2 4.2
consensus
309 4.1
agreement
361 1.0
understanding
119 2.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

meeting + of + mind

The meaning 'people fully agree' is directly derivable from combining 'meeting' (a coming together) with 'minds' (thoughts or mental faculties): it literally describes minds coming together, i.e. agreement. This compositional, slightly metaphorical image follows normal English noun-of-noun patterns and is cross-linguistically understandable, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase meeting of minds comes from the simple picture of people bringing their minds together in a meeting, like two people facing each other and joining their ideas. That's why it means 'full agreement' or 'shared understanding'.