green

1 of 3

adjective

1
: of the color green
2
a
: covered by green growth or foliage
green fields
b
: consisting of green plants and usually edible herbage
a green salad
c
of winter : mild, clement
3
a
: envious sense 1
used especially in the phrase green with envy
b
: marked by a pale, sickly, or nauseated appearance
4
: not ripened or matured
green peaches
5
a
: deficient in training, knowledge, or experience
green recruits
b
: deficient in sophistication and savoir faire : naive
was green and credulous
c
: not fully qualified for or experienced in a particular function
6
7
: fresh, new
8
a
often capitalized : relating to or being an environmentalist political movement
b
: concerned with or supporting environmentalism
green consumers who practice recycling
c
: tending to preserve environmental quality (as by being recyclable, biodegradable, or nonpolluting)
greener energy solutions
9
: pleasantly alluring
10
a
: not fully processed or treated: such as
(1)
: freshly sawed
green lumber
(2)
: not aged
green liquor
(3)
: not dressed or tanned
green hides
b
: not in condition for a particular use
greenish adjective
greenishness noun
greenly adverb
greenness noun

green

2 of 3

noun

plural greens
1
: a color whose hue is somewhat less yellow than that of growing fresh grass or of the emerald or is that of the part of the spectrum lying between blue and yellow
2
: something of a green color
3
: green vegetation: such as
a greens plural
(1)
: leafy herbs (such as spinach, dandelions, or Swiss chard) that are cooked as a vegetable
b
greens plural : leafy parts of plants for use as decoration
4
: an area consisting of or resembling grass: such as
a
: a usually grassy park or common in the center of a town or village
Mashpee, Massachusetts has a new town green, complete with bandstand.Alan D. Haas
5
informal : money
especially : U.S. paper money : greenbacks
6
or Green : environmentalist
especially : a member of an activist political party focusing on environmental and social issues
7
physics : one of the three colors (see color entry 1 sense 15) that quarks have in the theory of quantum chromodynamics
Whereas there is just one kind of electric charge, however, there are three kinds of color charge, usually called red, blue and green. (The names, of course, have nothing to do with colors in the everyday sense.)Elliott D. Bloom and Gary J. Feldman
greeny adjective

green

3 of 3

verb

greened; greening; greens

intransitive verb

: to become green
Phrases
green around the gills
: pale or sickly in appearance

Examples of green in a Sentence

Adjective fields green with meadow grass a new pitcher who's pretty green, even by rookie standards Noun a mixture of blues and greens The town green was the center of activity. It took him four shots to get to the green.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Start in Savannah, Georgia, for its signature lush green parks, river views, and trickling fountains. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024 Her backlit red-headed look in the ‘70s (picture her 1973 Duke Ellington tribute) was her intro to more pigmented colors, like green shadows at her 35th birthday. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024 Your Top 10 following Stage 2: Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron, Daniel Hemric and Josh Berry. Stage 2 Lap 30: Denny Hamlin takes the green and white checkered flag and wins Stage 2! Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2024 Thai Curry Snow Pea Stir-Fry Snow peas get a speedy assist from jarred Thai curry paste (red or green) to create a light meal when paired with cooked rice or noodles. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 Any word when Pulido’s will reopen? —Lots of readers The new green awning at 2900 Pulido St. near Montgomery Street spurred questions about the 58-year-old Mexican restaurants’ reopening under new owners from JD’s Hamburgers and West Side Cafe. Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Available in two designs—pink and pale green or blue and gray—both with a bright yellow handle, this case has a wide ridge around the edges for easy gripping. Tanya Edwards, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 In 1987, Jeff Sluman – locked in a sudden-death playoff with American compatriot Sandy Lyle – stood over a putt on the island green knowing a conversion from inside six feet would seal him his first PGA Tour title and $182,000. Jack Bantock, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 In a brief prologue, a 12-year-old girl (Riley Elise Fincher-Foster) stumbles upon a bottle of pills in the greenest of fields. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Cook time: 45 minutes (Pascal Shirley / For The Times) Kuku Sabzi During your visit to the farmers market this weekend, be sure to pick up plenty of parsley, dill, cilantro, green onions and leeks for this herbaceous frittata that’s more greens than egg. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Because messages sent between iPhones via Apple’s proprietary network appear in blue bubbles, but those from Android phones appear in green and are excluded from many iMessage features, Apple has signaled to consumers that rival phones are of less quality, the suit alleges. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024 The oil sizzles and activates the aromatics on top of the fish, giving the dish one final, bright burst of green. Lucas Sin, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2024 Located in the Finsbury Park neighborhood, the artwork depicts a figure holding a pressure washer standing below towering streaks of green. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024 Yet the response was as sublime as the initial effort was shoddy, with a nerveless Clark – having decided against taking a different angle from the penalty drop area to the left of the green – dropping his second attempt to within seven feet of the cup before rolling home. Jack Bantock, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 The leafy greens — spinach, butter lettuce, arugula and watercress — will wilt quickly when they’re placed in liquid. Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024 The greens from the turnips add festive flecks of green. Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The bright side, as the NIFC report notes, is that areas could see an early green up, when grasses return after the winter, and lead to a fire season ending earlier. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
An aerial shot of the Cesar E. Chavez campus in Oakland, California, greened up by the Trust for Public Land. Matt Simon, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 Nielsen-Gammon said the heat struck early in the season and before vegetation could green up and become less likely to burn. Evan Bush, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024 To determine whether greening our electricity and transport will help shift some of the undue burden, a team of researchers based in San Diego did two analyses focused on PM 2.5 exposure. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 21 June 2023 Joey Logano, three-time Vegas winner, snags another pole For the second time in three races, Joey Logano will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to green. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2024 Photograph: Rebecca Friedland/Trust for Public Land Even more locally, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land has been greening up alleys in LA with tree-planting projects. Matt Simon, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 Opt For Battery-free Toys Parents can also green their gift-giving traditions is by selecting toys that do not require the use of batteries. Mia Taylor, Parents, 14 Feb. 2024 What if one parent has brown eyes and the other has green, yet a child has blue eyes? Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 4 Dec. 2023 The region is greening, for instance, as higher temperatures allow plant species to spread north. Matt Simon, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'green.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb

Middle English grene, from Old English grēne; akin to Old English grōwan to grow

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of green was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near green

Cite this Entry

“Green.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/green. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

green

1 of 2 adjective
1
: of the color green
2
a
: covered by green leaves or herbs
b
: consisting of green plants or of the leafy part of a plant
a green salad
3
: not fully grown or ripe
4
a
: marked by a sickly appearance
b
: envious
used especially in the phrase green with envy
5
: lacking training, knowledge, or experience
green troops
6
a
: concerned with or supporting environmentalism
b
: tending to preserve the quality of the environment
green dish soap
greenish adjective
greenly
ˈgrēn-lē
adverb
greenness noun

green

2 of 2 noun
1
: a color (as that of fresh grass) that ranges between blue and yellow
2
a
: green vegetation
b
plural : leafy parts of plants used for some purpose (as ornament or food)
3
: a grassy plain or plot
especially : a smooth grassy area at the end of a golf fairway containing the hole
4
5
often capitalized : environmentalist
especially : a member of a political party focusing on environmental and social issues
greeny
ˈgrē-nē
adjective

Medical Definition

green

1 of 2 adjective
1
: of the color green
2
of a wound : being recently incurred and unhealed
3
: marked by a pale, sickly, or nauseated appearance
4
of hemolytic streptococci : tending to produce green pigment when cultured on blood media

green

2 of 2 noun
1
: a color whose hue is somewhat less yellow than that of growing fresh grass or of the emerald or is that of the part of the spectrum lying between blue and yellow
2
: a pigment or dye that colors green see janus green

Geographical Definition

Green

geographical name

1
river 730 miles (1175 kilometers) long in the western U.S. flowing from the Wind River Range in western Wyoming south into the Colorado River in southeastern Utah
2
city in northeastern Ohio south of Akron population 22,817

Biographical Definition

Green 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Julien or Julian 1900–1998 French novelist

Green

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

William 1873–1952 American labor leader

More from Merriam-Webster on green

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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