Meaning & use
greeting
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Meanings
nouncountable
A word, gesture, or short expression used when meeting someone, welcoming them, or starting communication.
Grammar: Countable: one greeting, several greetings; use it for both spoken words and physical gestures.
Patterns
- exchange greetings
- a warm greeting
- mumble a greeting
She gave a polite greeting before asking for directions.
A nod can be a greeting when words are impossible.
nounusually plural
Good wishes sent to someone for a special occasion such as a birthday, holiday, or achievement.
Grammar: Usually plural in this use: birthday greetings, holiday greetings; singular is less natural here.
Patterns
- birthday greetings
- season's greetings
- send greetings to someone
We received greetings from friends overseas.
The card contained warm greetings and a family photo.
Word forms
| plural | greetings |
|---|
Common combinations
- exchange greetings
- The neighbors paused to exchange greetings before work.
- a warm greeting
- A warm greeting helped the new student feel welcome.
- shout a greeting
- He shouted a greeting across the crowded platform.
- return someone's greeting
- She returned his greeting with a quick smile.
- greeting card
- He chose a greeting card with a simple landscape.
Synonyms and how they differ
- salutation
- More formal or written; fits letters and official openings better than casual spoken hellos.
- hello
- A common spoken greeting, but not a general noun for gestures or written good wishes.
- welcome
- Emphasizes receiving someone; a greeting can also say goodbye in some contexts, a welcome cannot.
Opposites
Word family
- greet verb
- To give a greeting to someone.
- greeter noun
- A person whose job is to welcome visitors.
Commonly confused: greeting or greating?
greeting vs greating
A common misspelling; the correct noun is greeting with one e after gr.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
Good wishes for an occasion are usually plural greetings; option 0 lacks the plural, option 2 wrongly mixes singular a with plural greetings, and option 4 is ungrammatical word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “greeting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.