salutation

noun

sal·u·ta·tion | \ ˌsal-yə-ˈtā-shən

Definition of salutation

1a : an expression of greeting, goodwill, or courtesy by word, gesture, or ceremony

b salutations plural : regards

2 : the word or phrase of greeting (such as Gentlemen or Dear Sir or Madam) that conventionally comes immediately before the body of a letter

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Examples of salutation in a Sentence

A handshake and saying “hello” are common salutations. Shaking hands is a form of salutation.

Recent Examples on the Web

As not answering his stack of correspondence appeared impolite, the London socialite decided to speed up the task by enlisting his friend, artist J.C. Horsley, to design a festive card with a fill-in-the-blank salutation in 1843. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Your Old Christmas Cards Might Be Worth Serious Money," 16 Nov. 2018 Start the day with sun salutations (and sweeping 360 views of the city) during morning yoga. — Rachel Waldman, Vogue, "7 Exclusive Social Clubs Where Non-Members Can Stay the Night," 17 July 2018 Over some sun salutations and crunches, the pair dished on all of the fitness and nutrition secrets behind that bright smile and killer bod. — Seventeen Magazine, Seventeen, "Get Christina Perri's Workout Secrets!," 12 Jan. 2012 On July Fourth, Twitter lit up with 19th-century style letters beginning with salutations like these after a conspiracy theorist’s outlandish prediction of a second American Civil War became fodder for jokes across the political spectrum. — Jennie Neufeld, Vox, "#SecondCivilWar: how a wild conspiracy theory became a July 4th Twitter meme," 5 July 2018 For instance, when writing an old-fashioned letter, salutations were important, especially in professional settings. — Jennifer Winward, Anchorage Daily News, "Five old-school skills that kids should learn from their grandparents instead of YouTube," 26 June 2018 Teens should use these respectful salutations when asking for a letter of recommendation, when thanking someone for an interview, or when communicating with a professor, teacher or adviser. — Jennifer Winward, Anchorage Daily News, "Five old-school skills that kids should learn from their grandparents instead of YouTube," 26 June 2018 Celebrate the sun and stretch your yoga practice with 108 sun salutations on the Anchorage Museum lawn. — Yoshina Okamoto, Anchorage Daily News, "Celebrating summer solstice: Here are parties and events around Alaska," 21 June 2018 BOSTON COMMON Free Summer Yoga Unfurl your yoga mat near the Frog Pond for some sun salutations in the park. — BostonGlobe.com, "Summer guide: Things to do around Boston and Cambridge," 2 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'salutation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.