Vocabulary Related to Meetings: Business English Words & Phrases

Vocabulary related to meetings is essential if you use English at work, attend online calls, take part in team discussions, or prepare for Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced exams. Meetings are not only about speaking English; they are also about sounding clear, polite, organised and professional.

In this lesson, you will learn important meeting vocabulary in English, including useful nouns, verbs, phrasal verbs and expressions you can use before, during and after a meeting.

Whether you are joining a business meeting, a staff meeting, a conference call or a Cambridge speaking task, these words and phrases will help you participate with more confidence.

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Why Meeting Vocabulary Matters

Meetings often follow a predictable structure. People discuss the agenda, share ideas, ask for clarification, agree or disagree, make decisions and assign tasks.

If you know the right vocabulary related to meetings, you can:

• understand what is happening more easily
• express your opinion clearly
• ask polite questions
• sound more professional
• take part in discussions with confidence
• improve your Business English and Cambridge exam speaking skills

Let’s start with the most important meeting words.

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Core Meeting Vocabulary

Agenda

An agenda is a list of topics that will be discussed during a meeting.

Common collocations:

• set the agenda
• follow the agenda
• stick to the agenda
• add something to the agenda
• an item on the agenda

Examples:

• Please find the agenda attached to the email.
• What is the next item on the agenda?

Chair / Chairperson

The chair or chairperson is the person who leads the meeting and makes sure everything runs smoothly. In modern business English, chair is often preferred because it is neutral and can refer to any person.

• The chair opened the meeting with a short welcome.
• The chairperson asked everyone to introduce themselves.
• Who is going to chair the meeting tomorrow?

Moderator

A moderator is someone who manages a discussion, especially in conferences, webinars, online meetings or panel discussions.

• The moderator introduced the speakers.
• Please send your questions to the moderator in the chat.

Attendee

An attendee is a person who attends a meeting, conference, webinar or event.

• There were over 40 attendees at the online meeting.
• All attendees will receive a copy of the presentation.

Participant

A participant is someone who takes part in a meeting or discussion. The word is often more active than attendee.

• Each participant will have two minutes to share their opinion.
• The participants worked in small groups.

Quorum

A quorum is the minimum number of people needed for a meeting to be official or valid.

This word is often used in formal meetings, committees and organisations.

• We cannot make a decision because we do not have a quorum.
• How many members do we need to make a quorum?

Minutes

The minutes are the official written notes of a meeting. They record what was discussed, what was decided and who is responsible for future action.

• Could you take the minutes today?
• The minutes will be sent to all attendees after the meeting.

Action Point

An action point is a task that someone agrees to do after a meeting.

• Let’s write down the main action points before we finish.
• One action point is to contact the supplier by Friday.

Deadline

A deadline is the latest time or date by which something must be completed.

Common collocations:

• meet a deadline
• miss a deadline
• extend a deadline
• set a deadline
• work to a tight deadline

Examples:

• The deadline for the report is next Thursday.
• Do you think we can meet the deadline?
• We may need to extend the deadline by a few days.
• They are working to a very tight deadline.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a group activity where people suggest ideas freely, usually to solve a problem or create something new.

• We’re having a brainstorming session on Tuesday.
• Brainstorming can help us find a creative solution.

Icebreaker

An icebreaker is a short activity, question or joke used at the beginning of a meeting to help people relax.

Related expression:

Break the ice means to make people feel more comfortable in a social situation.

• The trainer started the workshop with a quick icebreaker.
• A simple question can help break the ice.

Venue

A venue is the place where a meeting, conference or event takes place.

• The hotel is a popular venue for business conferences.
• We still need to book a venue for the workshop.

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Verbs Related to Meetings

To attend a meeting

To attend a meeting means to be present at a meeting.

• I can’t attend the meeting on Friday.
• How many people attended the meeting?

To chair a meeting

To chair a meeting means to lead or manage it.

• Sarah will chair the meeting tomorrow.
• He has chaired several important meetings this year.

To schedule a meeting

To schedule a meeting means to arrange it for a particular time and date.

• Let’s schedule a meeting for next week.
• Could we schedule a short call to discuss the details?

To postpone a meeting

To postpone a meeting means to move it to a later time or date.

• The meeting has been postponed until Monday.
• We had to postpone the meeting because several people were unavailable.

To cancel a meeting

To cancel a meeting means to decide that it will not take place.

• Tomorrow’s meeting has been cancelled.
• They cancelled the meeting due to technical problems.

To adjourn a meeting

To adjourn a meeting means to stop it temporarily or formally end it, often with the possibility of continuing later.

This is quite formal.

• The meeting was adjourned until next week.
• The chair adjourned the session at 4 p.m.

To delegate

To delegate means to give a task or responsibility to another person.

• We need to delegate some of these tasks.
• The manager delegated the research to two team members.

Be careful: delegate can also be a noun. A delegate is a person chosen to represent a group.

• The company sent three delegates to the conference.

To recap

To recap means to summarise the main points again.

• Let’s recap what we have agreed so far.
• To recap, we will launch the campaign next month.

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Phrasal Verbs for Meetings

Phrasal verbs are very common in workplace English. Here are some useful phrasal verbs related to meetings.

Set up

To set up a meeting means to arrange it.

• We need to set up a meeting with the marketing team.
• Could you set up a call for Thursday?

Bring forward

To bring forward a meeting means to move it to an earlier time or date.

• The meeting has been brought forward to Monday.
• Can we bring the call forward by an hour?

Bring forward can also mean to introduce an idea or proposal for discussion.

• The committee brought forward a new proposal.

Put back

To put back a meeting means to move it to a later time or date.

• The meeting has been put back to Wednesday.
• They put the launch date back by two weeks.

Put off

To put off a meeting means to postpone it.

• We had to put off the meeting because the client was unavailable.
• Let’s not put this off again.

Call off

To call off a meeting means to cancel it.

• Tomorrow’s meeting has been called off.
• They called off the meeting because there was no quorum.

Follow up

To follow up means to take further action after a meeting.

• I’ll follow up with an email after the meeting.
• Could you follow up with the client?

Bring up

To bring up a topic means to mention it or introduce it into a discussion.

• I’d like to bring up one more issue.
• She brought up an important point about customer feedback.

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Useful Expressions for Meetings

Here are some practical expressions you can use during meetings.

Starting a Meeting

• Let’s get started.
• Shall we begin?
• Thank you all for coming.
• The purpose of today’s meeting is to discuss our new plan.
• We have three main items on the agenda today.

Introducing a Topic

• The first item on the agenda is customer feedback.
• Let’s start with the budget.
• I’d like to begin by looking at the latest figures.
• The next point we need to discuss is the deadline.

Asking for Clarification

• Could you clarify that point?
• Could you explain what you mean by that?
• I’m not sure I follow.
• Could you give us an example?
• Do you mean that we should postpone the launch?

Giving Your Opinion

• In my opinion, we need more time.
• I think this is a sensible approach.
• From my point of view, the deadline is too tight.
• I’d say the proposal is worth considering.
• As far as I can see, we have two main options.

Agreeing

• I completely agree.
• That sounds reasonable.
• I think you’re right.
• I agree with that suggestion.
• That’s a good point.

Disagreeing Politely

• I see your point, but I’m not sure I agree.
• I agree up to a point, but there may be another option.
• I understand what you mean, but I have some concerns.
• I’m afraid I see it differently.
• That may be true, but we also need to consider the cost.

Interrupting Politely

• Sorry to interrupt, but could I add something?
• May I come in here?
• Could I just make a quick point?
• Sorry, could I say something about that?

Moving the Discussion Forward

• Shall we move on to the next item?
• Let’s come back to that later.
• We’re running short of time, so let’s move on.
• Can we return to this point at the end?
• Let’s not get too sidetracked.

Summarising and Ending a Meeting

• Let’s recap the main points.
• To sum up, we have agreed on three action points.
• Before we finish, let’s check who is responsible for each task.
• Shall we wrap up?
• Thank you, everyone. That brings us to the end of the meeting.

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Common Mistakes with Meeting Vocabulary

1. Meet vs Meeting

Meet is usually a verb.

Correct: I will meet the client tomorrow.

Meeting is a noun.

Correct: We have a meeting tomorrow.

Incorrect: We have a meet tomorrow.

2. Assist vs Attend

In English, attend a meeting means to go to a meeting.

Correct: I attended the meeting yesterday.

Incorrect: I assisted the meeting yesterday.

Assist means to help.

Correct: She assisted the manager with the report.

3. Discuss about

After discuss, do not use about.

Correct: We discussed the problem.

Incorrect: We discussed about the problem.

You can say:

• We talked about the problem.
• We discussed the problem.

4. Make a Meeting

In natural English, we usually say:

• arrange a meeting
• schedule a meeting
• set up a meeting
• hold a meeting

Correct: We need to set up a meeting.

Less natural: We need to make a meeting.

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Meeting Vocabulary in Cambridge Exams

Vocabulary related to meetings is especially useful for Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced learners because exam tasks often include topics such as work, communication, teamwork, decision-making and problem-solving.

You can use this vocabulary in:

• B2 First Speaking Part 3 when discussing options and reaching a decision
• B2 First Speaking Part 4 when giving opinions
• C1 Advanced Speaking when comparing ideas and justifying choices
• formal writing tasks such as reports, proposals and emails

For example, instead of saying:

• We talked about some things and decided what to do.

You could say:

• We discussed several items on the agenda and agreed on three action points.

That sounds much more precise and professional.

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Vocabulary Related to Meetings: Mini Practice

Complete the sentences with the correct word or phrase.

1. The meeting was __________ because the manager was ill.
2. Could you __________ that point? I’m not sure I understand.
3. We need to __________ a meeting with the sales team.
4. Let’s __________ the main points before we finish.
5. There was no __________, so the committee could not vote.
6. I’ll __________ with an email after the meeting.
7. The first item on the __________ is the budget.
8. We had to __________ the meeting until next week.

Answers:

1. called off / cancelled
2. clarify
3. set up / schedule / arrange
4. recap
5. quorum
6. follow up
7. agenda
8. postpone / put off

Download the Vocabulary Related to Meetings Practice Worksheet in PDF here

Final Thoughts

Vocabulary related to meetings is an important part of Business English and professional communication. Once you know words such as agenda, minutes, action points, quorum, chair, delegate and follow up, meetings become much easier to understand and participate in.

Keep practising this meeting vocabulary in English, and try to use some of the expressions in your next discussion, online class or workplace meeting. The more often you use them, the more natural and confident your English will sound.

Related posts:

Vocabulary for Negotiation and Persuasion 

27 Types of Business People 

Collocations Related to Work 

Phrases for Changing the Subject in English 

B2 First Speaking Part 3 

Functional Language for Speaking Exams 

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