green card

noun

: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.
green-carder noun

Examples of green card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Green card holders must fill out the form every 10 years to renew their green card or in the case that theirs is damaged or lost. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025 Chávez was arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2025 Chavez was arrested after allegedly overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application, according to DHS. ABC News, 3 July 2025 Jose Luis Rojas Figuera, who attended the Pan American International High School in Elmhurst for roughly a year after arriving in New York in October 2023, has no criminal history and was pursuing a green card, according to the brief filed Tuesday. Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for green card

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of green card was in 1956

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Cite this Entry

“Green card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/green%20card. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Legal Definition

green card

noun
: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.
Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green

More from Merriam-Webster on green card

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