welcome mat

noun

Updated on: 4 May 2018

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

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Recent Examples of welcome mat from the Web

Until recently, there was no welcome mat for Wisconsin coaches.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Cincinnati high school apologizes, will allow Badgers football coach Paul Chryst on campus," 21 Apr. 2018
The way things were going, the ocean will likely advance and swallow up the land, the anchialine ponds, the gardens, and the lovely public bathrooms, lapping up the welcome mats of the houses further inland.

— soleil ho, GQ, "Kohanaiki: Where the Mega-Rich Hide Away on Hawai'i," 20 Apr. 2018
The William Shatner welcome mat Atlanta got its Amazon close-up last week.

— elizabeth weise, USA TODAY, "Amazon's second headquarters search hits crunch time; one group warns 'it's a race to the bottom'," 2 Apr. 2018
That lawsuit was amplified by conservative media, which rolled out the welcome mat for Damore.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "Peter Thiel’s Lonely Culture War," 16 Feb. 2018
These days, the mood has perceptibly changed: China is no longer so keen to put out the welcome mat, and foreign companies are increasingly prone to complain of unfair treatment.

— simon denyer, Washington Post, "Command and control: China’s Communist Party extends reach into foreign companies," 28 Jan. 2018
Rather than seeing the men as a burden and their presence as a disruption of her family and business routine, Lydia laid out the welcome mat.

— debra draper, Houston Chronicle, "Draper: Who was Lydia of Philippi?," 26 Jan. 2018
Curaleaf is getting the welcome mat: The local Chamber of Commerce plans a ribbon cutting on Friday for Curaleaf, though the dispensary had a soft opening late last week.

— meredith cohn, baltimoresun.com, "More medical marijuana dispensaries open in Maryland," 20 Mar. 2018
The owners of River Oaks' Bosscat Kitchen & Libations are ready to roll out the welcome mat at their new Heights project, BCK: Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures.

— greg morago, Houston Chronicle, "BCK: Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures opens in the Heights Feb. 7," 6 Feb. 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.

First Known Use of welcome mat

1946

in the meaning defined above

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WELCOME MAT Defined for English Language Learners

welcome mat

noun

Definition of welcome mat for English Language Learners

: a small rug that is placed by the door of a person's house, apartment, etc., for guests to wipe their feet on before entering

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