# good morning

idiom · CEFR A1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/good-morning
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

A polite greeting you use when you meet someone in the morning, usually before noon.

## Examples

- Good morning, how are you today?
- I always say good morning to my neighbor when I get the mail.
- She walked into the office and gave a cheerful good morning to all her coworkers.
- The hotel receptionist smiled and said good morning as I walked downstairs to find some breakfast.
- Even though he was still very sleepy, he managed a quick good morning before pouring his first cup of coffee.
- As the sun rose over the quiet valley, the old man offered a polite good morning to the passing traveler.

## Origin

From the Middle English *gud mornynge*, also recorded as *goode morne* or *gode morne*. It descends from the Old English *gōdne morgen*, functioning as an ellipsis for a longer sentiment such as "I wish you a good morning." The construction is a simple compound of *good* and *morning*. Parallel forms exist across the Germanic languages, including the West Frisian *goeie moarn*, Dutch *goedemorgen*, German *guten Morgen*, Danish *god morgen*, Swedish *god morgon*, and Icelandic *góðan morgunn*.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.