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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.
According to the State Department, in the last five years, the United States has admitted about 9,000 Somali refugees, many of whom later became eligible to apply for green cards and eventually for citizenship. Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025 Frey was waiting in line to buy a Somali confection at a bakery when a woman went up to him and showed him her green card. Rob Kuznia, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025 This review affects holders of green cards, employment authorization documents (EADs), travel documents, and, in some cases, naturalization applicants who already completed interviews and other standard vetting processes. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025 But now, the terror has returned, said Argüelles, a one-time asylum applicant who received his 10-year green card in July after his daughter sponsored him. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Green card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/green%20card. Accessed 8 Dec. 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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