What it means
The currently dominant way to win or do something, the strategy everyone copies because it works best right now. In games the meta is the build the pros all run, but it has spread to anything trend-driven: the meta for getting hired, the meta haircut. What is meta today is old news next patch.
Usage examples
"Everyone runs that build now, it is just the meta."
"Short videos are the meta for getting noticed these days."
"Nah, don't use that setup, the meta shifted last week and it gets cooked now."
"In job hunting right now, the meta is basically clean LinkedIn, short CV, and loads of networking."
Where it comes from
It comes from metagame, a gaming term for the bigger picture beyond the match itself, meaning which tactics, builds, and choices are strongest against what everyone else is doing. Over time people clipped it to meta, and it spread way outside games to mean the current best play in any trend-heavy scene.
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