green card

noun

A US work permit, officially known as United States Permanent Resident Card.

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Meanings

noungreen card (plural green cards)

plural green cards

  1. USA US work permit, officially known as United States Permanent Resident Card.
  2. field hockeyA warning card, given to a player for an infraction of the rules. A further infraction may warrant a yellow card or red card.
  3. bankingA chargecard launched by American Express in 1969.
  4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see green, card.

Origin

The work permit from the historical greenish color (first used in 1946), the bank card from its green design, made to resemble US dollar bills.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كَارْت أَخْضَر
  • كَارْت أَخْضَر (kart ʔaḵḍar)US work permit
Chinese Cantonese 綠卡 /绿卡
  • 綠卡 /绿卡 (luk⁶ kaat¹)US work permit
Chinese Mandarin 綠卡 /绿卡
  • 綠卡 /绿卡 (lǜkǎ)US work permit
Danish green card
  • green cardUS work permit
Dutch green card
  • green cardUS work permit
Finnish green card, vihreä kortti
  • green cardUS work permit
  • vihreä korttiUS work permit
French carte verte, green card
  • carte verteUS work permit
  • green cardUS work permit
German Green Card
  • Green CardUS work permit
Greek πράσινη κάρτα
  • πράσινη κάρτα (prásini kárta)US work permit
Hebrew גְּרִין קַארְד
  • גְּרִין קַארְד (grín kárd)US work permit
Hindi ग्रीन कार्ड
  • ग्रीन कार्ड (grīn kārḍ)US work permit
Hungarian zöldkártya
  • zöldkártyaUS work permit
Japanese グリーンカード
  • グリーンカード (gurīn kādo)US work permit
Persian گرین کارت
  • گرین کارت (gerin kârt)US work permit
Polish zielona karta
  • zielona kartaUS work permit
Portuguese green card
  • green cardUS work permit
Russian гринка́рта, гринка́рд
  • гринка́рта (grinkárta)US work permit
  • гринка́рд (grinkárd)US work permit
  • зелёная ка́рта (zeljónaja kárta)US work permit
Spanish tarjeta verde, Green Card
  • tarjeta verdeUS work permit
  • Green CardUS work permit
Vietnamese thẻ xanh
  • thẻ xanhUS work permit
Cite this entry
APA

green card. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20card

MLA

“green card.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20card. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green card,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20card.

Source: green card on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.