What does greeted mean?
Greeted is the simple past tense and past participle of greet, and it marks an action that has happened: someone has welcomed or addressed another person with a word, gesture, or sign of recognition. The usual image is a host receiving guests, but the verb applies across degrees of formality, from a colleague saying hello to a dignitary being received formally. Greeted can also describe the response an event or proposal receives, as when a proposal is greeted with enthusiasm or a new policy is greeted with protests. In these figurative uses, the word suggests how something is received rather than simply that it was encountered. Both British and American English use the form, and the pronunciation is the same in both. Because greeted combines interpersonal warmth with a broader sense of reception, it can make writing feel human and immediate, especially when a sentence identifies the response. Its older root, associated with calling out or addressing someone, also explains why the word carries both welcome and attention. Greeted is therefore useful wherever the aim is to report a meeting, a reception, or the public's response to something.
verbGreeted is the past tense and past participle of greet. It means to welcome or address someone with words, gestures, or a sign of recognition; figuratively, it can mean to encounter or receive something, as when a proposal is greeted with enthusiasm or a policy is greeted with protests.
- To welcome or address someone with a greeting, salutation, or gesture of recognition.
- To meet or encounter something with a particular response, as when an event or proposal is greeted with enthusiasm, criticism, or silence.
"The ambassador was greeted warmly by a crowd gathered outside the hall."
"She greeted each guest with a smile and a handshake."
"The proposal was greeted with a mixture of applause and scepticism."
Its Old English ancestor could mean not only to welcome someone, but also to call out to, summon, or address them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of greeted
Greeted is the English past form of greet, whose modern verb comes through Middle English greten from Old English grētan. Old English grētan could mean to greet, address, summon, or visit and ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *grōtijaną, commonly connected with the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰrewd- meaning “to call out.” Cognates survive in languages including German grüßen, Dutch groeten, and Afrikaans groet.
Related word forms
How greeted is actually used
Standard in formal and informal British and American English, with no major regional difference. The construction “greeted with” commonly introduces the response received, while “greeted by” often identifies the person performing the greeting.
Easily confused with greeted
Greeted means welcomed or addressed someone, whereas grated means rubbed against a surface or, as a noun, refers to a metal framework.