greeting
Americannoun
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greetings
plural
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the act or words of a person who greets.
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a friendly message from someone who is absent.
a greeting from a friend in another country.
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greetings, an expression of friendly or respectful regard.
Send my greetings to your family.
noun
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the act or an instance of welcoming or saluting on meeting
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(often plural)
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an expression of friendly salutation
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( as modifier )
a greetings card
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of greeting
before 900; Middle English, Old English gretinge. See greet 1, -ing 1
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.
See Examples For:
Graham was meeting and greeting voters on a steamy Sunday afternoon at a waterfront venue in suburban Charleston.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Preface your message with a greeting, such as "Thank you for your email".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The artist had begun her professional life as a designer of greeting cards and home accessories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Courtesy is important too, even something as simple as greeting people."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Number—” I asked the next caller, but a young-sounding voice interrupted before I could even finish the greeting.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Over the following year, the two continued to exchange greetings, ideas and invitations.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
The two came up with a bold redesign — bright colors to attract motorists and greetings in four languages to honor the surrounding Navajo, Zuni, Acoma and Laguna communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
In the mornings, Christine eagerly awaits the brightly colored, highly vocal birds swooping into their garden, whooping their greetings before flying off into the junglelike foliage.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Team USA catcher Cal Raleigh—aka “Big Dumper,” the round-rumped, homer-slugging All-Star backstop for the Mariners—is getting grief for rejecting friendly greetings from Seattle teammates playing on other national teams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
After the happy greetings with the other aircrew and the ground crew, Katya and Klara and Tonya explained what had happened to them after the battle.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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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.