Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for meat and potatoes. Search instead for beloved tomatoes.
Definitions

meat and potatoes

NOUN
fundamental parts
Synonyms
WEAK
basis bottom line essence gist gravamen guts name of the game nitty-gritty nuts and bolts score substance
ADJECTIVE
of fundamental importance
Synonyms
STRONG
basic bottom-line essential fundamental indispensable primary/prime radical underlying vital
WEAK
bottom lowermost nethermost undermost

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Staples like bread, meat and potatoes all cost more than they did even a month ago," says Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment platform AJ Bell.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

I’d like to move on to a few questions about sort of the meat and potatoes issues that you touched on earlier.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2025

How is writing for “Matlock,” a meat and potatoes procedural, the same or different as writing for “Jane the Virgin,” which leaned on magical surrealism?

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024

There’s the satisfying meat and potatoes of exploration at Castle Ensis, with vertiginous balustrades and winding ramparts that cross over and under themselves in impossible architectural configurations.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024

She brings Enrique a bowl of hot broth, filled with bits of meat and potatoes.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario