green card

noun

: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.

green-carder

ˈgrēn-ˈkär-dər 

noun

Examples of green card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the application is pending at the U.S. National Visa Center, such as a petition for a green card for a relative, applicants may contact the center at https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry to request a transfer to another immigrant visa processing post. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

But as Lemon points out, undocumented immigrants can’t vote, nor can legal immigrants who are here on visas, or people with green cards. —Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

green card

noun

: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.

Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green