welcome mat

noun

Definition of welcome mat

: something likened to a mat placed before an entrance as a sign of welcome put out the welcome mat for foreign investors

Examples of welcome mat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At an apartment with a welcome mat, a 29-year-old undocumented construction worker from Honduras cracked open the door. — Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post, "Amid crackdown, advocates for immigrants say citizenship question will spook census-takers," 16 Apr. 2018 Along the way, most Mexican townspeople have rolled out the welcome mat. — José De Córdoba And Juan Montes, WSJ, "On the Caravan Trail, Grueling Conditions Take Toll on Migrants," 26 Oct. 2018 Officially named an Appalachian Trail community in 2009, laying out a welcome mat and resources to the millions of hikers that pass through each year, the scenery is a constant reminder of all the possible activities to be enjoyed. — Kaitlyn Wylde, Vogue, "What’s So Great About Great Barrington? A Weekend Guide to the Quietly Cool Berkshire Town," 25 Oct. 2018 Refugees still look back with appreciation to the welcome mat the American government offered. — Anh Do, latimes.com, "Vietnamese refugees who got a warm welcome from America puzzle at family separations, harsh rhetoric," 1 July 2018 The hardened stance reflects a souring national mood, with a far-right party now in Parliament for the first time in more than half a century and Chancellor Angela Merkel under pressure to pull up the welcome mat once and for all. — Griff Witte, Washington Post, "Migrants say these mass shelters are like prisons. Germany wants to build more.," 18 May 2018 Gres, 47, and her husband DeMay, 46, don’t see throwing out the welcome mat as extraordinary. — Elvia Malagon, chicagotribune.com, "Central American mother, children from migrant caravan seeking refuge in Chicago," 12 June 2018 Spread out over the sand at each tiny entrance was an elaborate tracery of crab footprints, as if each crab had woven a fresh lace welcome mat for visitors. — New York Times, "Ghost on the Beach," 28 June 2018 The fumes of acrylic polish waft through an entryway that’s marked with a $100-bill welcome mat. — Kate Branch, Vogue, "Cardi B’s Nail Artist Did My Manicure for the Met Gala—And It Totally Upstaged My Dress," 7 May 2018

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