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.
The latest update from Miller comes as new changes to the process for green card holders applying for citizenship come into force on October 20. Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025 Your short features a Latina citizen offering a means to get a green card to a Palestinian man. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2025 One of the detainees even has a pending green card application. Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025 Lubin previously told BusinessDen that the acquisition was funded by EB-5 investors — foreigners who can get green cards by investing in job-creating projects in the United States. Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 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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