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.
He needs to say namaste to India again.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025
The GPT also created a Hindi version, in seconds, using terms such as "namaste" and "rickshaw" to make it more culturally relevant in India.
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2023
During the store opening on Tuesday, Mr. Cook pressed his palms together in a gesture of namaste.
From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023
If you want, you can offer an alternative gesture of greeting, which could range from a fist bump, an elbow bump, a namaste gesture or the wai gesture of Thailand.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2021
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.
