<p>A meta-geocell with cellular honeycomb structures exhibiting a negative Poisson's ratio was designed and fabricated using 3D printing technology. For comparison, a conventional geocell with cellular square structures was also adopted. Then, the stress-displacement behaviours of different geocell-sand interfaces were investigated using a direct shear apparatus, where different extents of strain softening were observed. The meta-geocell resulted in an anomalous shear response under low normal stress, with loose specimens showing higher peak stress and normal dilation, which was less evident under higher normal stress. For dense specimens, the meta-geocell resulted in the highest peak strength when sheared along one direction, while it led to a lower peak strength than the conventional geocell when sheared along the other perpendicular direction. The geocell type had limited impact on the residual state lines, but the relative density did have significant effect, where loose specimens exhibited lower residual strength compared to the dense ones. The residual state line for loose specimens in the void ratio versus normal stress plane had a higher intercept. The peak friction angle decreased with an increase in the state parameter, regardless of the initial relative density; a better correlation between the two variables was observed in loose specimens.</p>