greeted; greeting; greets
Synonyms of greet

transitive verb

1
: to address with expression of kind wishes upon meeting or arrival
greeted guests at the door
2
a
: to meet or react to in a specified manner
greeted him with boos
b
: to occur as a response to
apathy greeted the plan
3
: to be seen or experienced by
a chaotic scene greeted them
were greeted by snow upon arrival at the airport
greeter noun

greet

2 of 2

verb (2)

Examples of greet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Her announcement at the parliament in Strasbourg, France, was greeted with a standing ovation. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026 Just about 24 hours before the World Series began, Arnold greeted the current Rays’ president of baseball operations Erik Neander, who started as an intern in Tampa while Arnold was a scout there, on the field. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 Upon arriving, we were given a full tour of the property by the front office manager and promptly left to freshen up and greet the city. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 Jacobs posted video on Wednesday of Cyrus warmly greeting her backstage. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for greet

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English greten, from Old English grētan; akin to Old English grǣtan to weep

Verb (2)

Middle English greten, from Old English grǣtan; akin to Old Norse grāta to weep

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of greet was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Greet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greet. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

greet

verb
ˈgrēt
1
: to address upon arrival or meeting with expressions of kind wishes
greeted guests at the door
2
: to meet or react to in a specified manner
greeted with cheers
3
: to appear or present itself to
a surprising sight greeted her eyes
greeter noun

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