salute
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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salutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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saluted,
past participle, past
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saluting
present participle
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Military. to pay respect to or honor by some formal act, as by raising the right hand to the side of the headgear, presenting arms, firing cannon, dipping colors, etc.
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to address with expressions of goodwill, respect, etc.; greet.
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to make a bow or other gesture to, as in greeting, farewell, or respect.
verb (used without object)
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salutes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
saluted,
past participle, past
-
saluting
present participle
-
Military. to give a salute.
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to perform a salutation.
noun
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salutes
plural
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Military.
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the special act of respect paid in saluting.
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the position of the hand or rifle in saluting.
at the salute.
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an act of saluting; salutation.
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a gold coin, bearing the image of the Virgin Mary receiving Gabriel's salutation, issued by Charles VI of France and by Henry V and Henry VI of England.
interjection
verb
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(tr) to address or welcome with friendly words or gestures of respect, such as bowing or lifting the hat; greet
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(tr) to acknowledge with praise or honour
we salute your gallantry
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military to pay or receive formal respect, as by presenting arms or raising the right arm
noun
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the act of saluting
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a formal military gesture of respect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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salutesimple
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salutessimple
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have salutedperfect
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has salutedperfect
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am salutingprogressive
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are salutingprogressive
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is salutingprogressive
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have been salutingperfect progressive
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has been salutingperfect progressive
Past
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salutedsimple
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had salutedperfect
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was salutingprogressive
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were salutingprogressive
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had been salutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of salute1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb saluten, “to greet courteously or respectfully,” from Latin salūtāre “to greet, hail, or salute,” derivative of salūt- (stem of salūs ) “health”; Middle English noun salu (also salue ), from Old French salu, salus, saluz, from Latin, salūs
Origin of salute2
Literally, “health”
Explanation
A salute is a sign of respect. A soldier may salute senior officers by raising a hand to his or her head, or you may informally salute a neighbor with a tip of your hat. Salute often has a military context, whether used as a verb or a noun. When gladiators showed up for a day’s work at the Coliseum in Ancient Rome, they had to be prepared to die in battle for the entertainment of the emperor. Beforehand, they would address the emperor with the Latin words “morituri te salutant”, which means “Those of us who are about to die salute you.” Many centuries later, the heavy metal band AC/DC would change those words to a song with a much happier sentiment: “For those about to rock, we salute you.” Rock on.
Vocabulary lists containing salute
When You Reach Me
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Catching Fire
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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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:
Despite these sobering realities, “The Madness Pill” is a celebration of scientific genius and a salute to the wild complexity of the brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He received a royal salute before inspecting a guard of honour of soldiers from the Royal Company of Archers, who serve as the King's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Military personnel salute those who outrank them, but all military personnel, regardless of rank, salute Medal of Honor recipients.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were met at the airport by Kim in a red-carpet welcome complete with military salute and cheering crowds.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
He and Sonny slap palms and end with the Wakanda salute.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
The CEO salutes the American flag on the building’s ground floor every morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Max Medellin, 12, of Troop 10 from Reseda salutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
The players snapped salutes at each other after great plays.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2026
Other photos from the parade showed Ju Ae striding a red carpet next to her father as he received salutes from North Korea's military top brass.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
He was on our comer, marching around in a circle and doing some salutes.
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
Trout had just saluted a fellow All-Star, Detroit Tigers rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle, who like Trout grew up in the area, rooting for the Phillies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
The brace was the first of Balogun’s international career and came in his World Cup debut before a crowd of family and friends, a cheering section he saluted from behind the goal line after scoring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
As he approached the 8ft-high fence around his target he saluted two diplomatic protection officers and jumped onto the railings in an attempt to scale them.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Kid Rock -- whose real name is Robert Ritchie -- posted a video on X over the weekend showing a helicopter hovering near his mountaintop home's swimming pool as he clapped and saluted.
From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026
Defenders of the Constitution, then and now, have saluted it as a sensible accommodation of liberty to power and a realistic compromise with the requirements of a national domain.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
When Duckett turned Santner to mid-wicket for the single that took him to three figures, he clenched his fist, screamed in delight, saluting both the dressing room and his home crowd.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
And so, as these fighters walked stone-faced to the octagon, we bore witness to the revolting spectacle of the troops saluting fighters.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
“It was just us saluting to do it.”
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
WNO’s spring 2026 operas are all American, saluting the nation’s 250th birthday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Sometimes the class would be right in the middle of saluting the flag, when in would burst Dad, with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
