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
- greetingless adjective
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.
“A not uncommon greeting among Berlin Jews,” Mr. Buruma writes, was, “how is your emigration coming along?”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
"Welcome!" it wrote, greeting the Iranian warship Iris Dena as it steamed into the port of Visakhapatnam to join an international naval gathering.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
He then received a warm greeting by his teammates in the dugout.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
His official biography on the Downing Street website says apart from rodent control: "Larry spends his days greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality."
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
After what felt like an eternity, it was finally their turn to order, and greeting them at the counter was a woman Kathy heard being called SJ.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
