ENGLISH
REFERENCE

greet

v.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈɡɹit// UK //ɡɹˈiːt// greet Archaic General-service

v. to say hello or welcome someone when you meet them. You can do this with words, a wave, or a handshake.

v. to welcome or acknowledge someone upon arrival with a specific gesture or greeting. Transitive; also used to describe the initial reaction to an idea or event.


SIMPLE

She smiles to greet every customer who enters.

CONTEXTUAL

The host stood by the door to greet the guests as they arrived for the dinner party.

COMPLEX

The president's proposal was greeted with skepticism by the opposition, who questioned the feasibility of the long-term funding model.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English greten, from Old English grētan, from Proto-West Germanic grōtijan, from Proto-Germanic grōtijaną.

Etymology 2

From Middle English greet, grete (“great”).

Etymology 3

From a blend of two Old English verbs, grētan, grǣtan (itself from Proto-West Germanic grātan); and of Old English grēotan (itself from greutan), both meaning "to weep, lament". Possibly reinforced in Northern England and Scotland by Old Norse gráta, whence also Danish græde, Norwegian gråte, Swedish gråta, all meaning "to cry, to weep".

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

Pitfall

greet to the teachergreet the teacherGreet is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before the person being welcomed.

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