They have meetings with many others (7)

I believe the answer is:

mothers

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'they have meetings' is the definition.
The definition suggests an adverb but the answer is not.

'with many others' is the wordplay.
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'many' becomes 'M' (Roman numeral for a thousand).
'm' next to 'others' is 'MOTHERS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for mothers that I've seen before include "Fusses over" , "Dams" , "Parents" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app