namaste
Americannoun
interjection
Usage
What does namaste mean? Namaste is a traditional Hindu greeting said with a hand gesture in which the palms are pressed together at the chest or head, accompanied by a slight bow or arm raise. In the West, it is commonly associated with yoga, and uses of namaste in this context is sometimes accused of being a form of cultural appropriation.
Etymology
Origin of namaste
First recorded in 1945–50; from Sanskrit: “hail,” literally, “(a) bow to thee”
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.
In Sanskrit, namaste translates to mean “I bow to you,” or, ”the light in me honors the light in you.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
He needs to say namaste to India again.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025
"Yes," Mamta Pathak replied, clasping her hand in a respectful namaste.
From BBC • Aug. 13, 2025
During the store opening on Tuesday, Mr. Cook pressed his palms together in a gesture of namaste.
From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023
The large one wobbled the standing up sign that said Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Welcomes You with a kathakali dancer doing a namaste.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
