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Synonyms

greet

1 American  
[greet] / grit /

verb (used with object)

  1. to address with some form of salutation; welcome.

    Synonyms:
    accost, hail

  2. to meet or receive.

    to be greeted by cheering crowds; to greet a proposal with boos and hisses.

  3. to manifest itself to.

    Music greeted his ear as he entered the salon.

verb (used without object)

  1. Obsolete. to give salutations on meeting.

greet 2 American  
[greet] / grit /

verb (used without object)

  1. to grieve; lament; cry.

verb (used with object)

  1. to lament; bewail.

greet 1 British  
/ ɡriːt /

verb

  1. to meet or receive with expressions of gladness or welcome

  2. to send a message of friendship to

  3. to receive in a specified manner

    her remarks were greeted by silence

  4. to become apparent to

    the smell of bread greeted him
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
greet 2 British  
/ ɡriːt /

verb

  1. (intr) to weep; lament

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. weeping; lamentation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • greeter noun

Etymology

Origin of greet1

before 900; Middle English greten, Old English grētan; cognate with German grüssen

Origin of greet2

before 900; Middle English grete, Old English grǣtan; cognate with ON grāta, Gothic gretan

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.

Every home match, the fans greet their players' return for the second half with a rendition of "Les Corons", a 1980s pop song paying tribute to the area's mining heritage.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

"The first thing you do when you greet a person is smile at them, that's the first connection you have, so for me, it's about being a human being with dignity and pride."

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

I can attest to that after spending several hours with her on Tuesday, hustling to keep up as she taught at two schools and then hurried home to greet her private students.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

He liked to greet his boy from behind the basement bar by asking, “what’ll you have?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

In the parking lot, Aldo raced over to greet us and wish us happy holidays.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.