salute
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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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Military. to give a salute.
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to perform a salutation.
noun
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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:
Military personnel salute those who outrank them, but all military personnel, regardless of rank, salute Medal of Honor recipients.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
"See… I recovered," the subsistence farmer said as he raised his hands in the air three times in a victory salute and in praise of God.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 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
It’s not merely trendy psychologizing to salute the qualities of a sturdy tree: a humbling reminder of time’s immensity, but also a living embodiment of shelter, change and growth.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
“Do right,” Paul Ellis taught C.P., “support the police, salute the flag, and good things will happen to you.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Max Medellin, 12, of Troop 10 from Reseda salutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
"They gave a fitting response to those who dared to attack innocent Indians at Pahalgam. The entire nation salutes our forces for their valour," he said in a statement.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
The players snapped salutes at each other after great plays.
From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2026
Yeats; in another he salutes Allen Ginsberg and other Beat poets; in a third he devotes the entirety of the piece to Arthur Rimbaud.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Amandla! and fists clenched in black power salutes.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Duckett punched the air, yelled to the sky and saluted the England dressing room.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
The program has struggled in the ratings since he took over in January when, during his inaugural week, he awkwardly saluted Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the close of one episode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Pelicot said she "saluted the strength" and courage of one of the young girls for speaking out after the attack.
From BBC ● May 26, 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
When Lord Asriel handed him the paper, he saluted and hurried out, his terrier dæmon close at his heels with her tail tucked low.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Stokes left the Test arena for the final time with his bat and helmet held aloft, saluting a rapturous ovation.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
His final masterstroke—bullying the world into saluting his greatness by executing an incredible comeback—will once again remind him that the maw at the center of his being remains unfilled.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 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
“Yes, sir,” I say, saluting with the akrafena.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
