greeting
Americannoun
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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.
“Nobody can make a deal like I can,” is his standard public greeting.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026
The King spent time greeting a number of people from the community who had gathered outside, and said to some waiting: "I hope I haven't disrupted your normal activities too much."
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The Chinese were careful to appeal to Trump's love of pomp, greeting him with marching bands, soldiers in lockstep and a cannon salute that echoed through Tiananmen Square.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
The scattered boos greeting this news were nothing compared to the full-throated braying that later sent both director and set designer into the night.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
When I nodded to her in greeting, she compressed her lips and looked at Ba.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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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.