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
-
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
-
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
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
"I really salute her strength and the decision she made, because I know that it's an incredibly difficult decision," she told BBC Breakfast.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
“Don’t you know that you don’t salute the commander’s daughter?”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Max Medellin, 12, of Troop 10 from Reseda salutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
The soldiers were buried on Sunday in coffins draped in the Indonesian flag during military funerals with gun salutes.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
The two videos, each lasting less than 30 seconds, show one of the helicopters hovering by the music star’s swimming pool as he salutes the crew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
The players snapped salutes at each other after great plays.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2026
She salutes Grandfather, slender and shining in her ceremonials, her black cloak fluttering lightly.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
The headphones he regularly wears were gone, he exchanged jokes with the host about wearing a blazer in the sweltering Jeddah heat, and he saluted supporters as he took his seat on stage.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 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
Crowds lined the streets crying out "Long live the pope!" as Leo saluted the faithful from his popemobile before the mass.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
Sometimes a junior constable walked into the frame and saluted her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
They saluted with their swords, their faces smiling and cordial.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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
“We’re feeling the AGI here,” host John Coogan said with a smile, before saluting goodbye to Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s newly annointed chief executive of applications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
He was three years old when a photographer captured him saluting his father’s casket, and for many years, that was how most of America pictured him.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff singled out Reed for praise, saluting the 26-year-old's readiness to slot into the starting line-up seamlessly.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
He strolls away lazily, saluting the Combat Centurion as he passes.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
