What does greet mean?
To greet is to welcome or acknowledge someone with words, a gesture, or another sign of friendliness. In everyday use, people greet friends, strangers, visitors, and colleagues, often with a hello, a smile, a handshake, or a hug. The verb can also describe how news, opportunities, or unwelcome developments are received: a proposal may be greeted with enthusiasm, while a change may be greeted with resistance. Greeting a ship is a more specialized, nautical use, meaning to hail it or exchange signals with it. The word is useful because it covers both a simple social interaction and the metaphorical way that people respond to experiences. It is neutral rather than strongly formal or informal, and its meaning has remained remarkably stable from Old English through modern usage.
verbTo welcome or acknowledge someone with a greeting, such as a word, gesture, or expression of friendliness. It can also mean to meet or be presented with something, or to hail a ship.
- To welcome or acknowledge someone with a greeting, gesture, or expression of friendliness.
- To meet or be presented with something, as in a response, reception, or event.
- To hail or exchange friendly signals with a ship.
"She stepped to the door to greet her guests with a warm smile."
"The mayor greeted the crowd with a brief speech."
"The proposal was greeted with a mixture of excitement and concern."
A greeting can do more than announce a meeting: it can set the emotional tone before a conversation even begins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How greet is actually used
Greet is neutral in register and is common in both formal and informal contexts. When used for something abstract, it usually describes the response a person or group has to news, an event, or an idea.
Easily confused with greet
To greet someone is to welcome or acknowledge them, whereas to grate someone is to irritate or annoy them.