greet

1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈgrēt 

greeted; greeting; greets

transitive verb

1

: to address with expression of kind wishes upon meeting or arrival

greeted guests at the door

2

a

: to meet or react to in a specified manner

greeted him with boos

b

: to occur as a response to

apathy greeted the plan

3

: to be seen or experienced by

a chaotic scene greeted them

were greeted by snow upon arrival at the airport

greeter noun

greet

2 of 2

verb (2)

grat ˈgrat  ; grutten ˈgrə-tᵊn 

intransitive verb

Scotland

: weep, lament

Examples of greet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But the crowd gathered to greet him at the central Plaza Independencia was much smaller, not even filling half the length of the vast square. — Carrie Kahn, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026

Open your TikTok or Instagram app and you’ll likely be greeted by short-form video content soundtracked by music from across the globe. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026

Ten minutes later, my driver dropped me off at PS’s sleek new 12,200-square-foot private terminal at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where I was greeted by caviar and Champagne and escorted to my own private suite. — Lauren Harano, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026

The crisp autumn air flows through the open-air car, and this becomes the ideal outing to greet the season. — Judith Garrison, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English greten, from Old English grētan; akin to Old English grǣtan to weep

Verb (2)

Middle English greten, from Old English grǣtan; akin to Old Norse grāta to weep

First Known Use

Verb (1)

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

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing greet

• meet and greet

Rhymes for greet

• beat
• beet
• bleat
• cheat
• cleat
• creat
• deet
• eat
• feat
• feet
• fleet
• heat

Kids Definition

greet

verb

ˈgrēt

1

: to address upon arrival or meeting with expressions of kind wishes

greeted guests at the door

2

: to meet or react to in a specified manner

greeted with cheers

3

: to appear or present itself to

a surprising sight greeted her eyes

greeter noun