greet

present singular third person greets · participle present greeting · participle past greeted · past greeted

1. transitiveTo welcome in a friendly manner, either in person or through another means such as writing.

   My lord, the mayor of London comes to greet you.

   c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]

   1 more example

   Warwick observed, as they passed through the respectable quarter, that few people who met the girl greeted her, and that some others whom she passed at gates or doorways gave her no sign of recognition; from which he inferred that she was possibly a visitor in the town and not well acquainted.

   1900, Charles W[addell] Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company […], →OCLC

   Synonyms: hail

2. transitiveTo arrive at or reach, or meet.

   Way deep in left field, where the carpet of green sloped upward to a terrace and greeted the thick line of trees, he reached out his glove.

   2009, Loren Long, Phil Bildner, Magic in the Outfield, page 47

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   In vain the Spring my Senſes greets / In all her Colours, all her Svveets; / To me the Roſe / No longer glovvs, / Every Plant / Has loſt its Scent: […]

   1707, [Joseph Addison], Rosamond. An Opera. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 9

3. transitiveTo accost; to address.

   Fair on his feet the polish'd sandals shine, And thus he greets the master of the swine:

   1725–1726, Homer, “(please specify the book or chapter of the Odyssey)”, in [William Broome, Elijah Fenton, Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC

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   I can be active as long as I stay in the closet. If I go forth as who I am, I will be greeted with closed doors.

   1986, Stephan Lee Dais, “Don't Turn Your Back On Me”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 61

4. archaicintransitiveTo meet and give salutations.

   There greet in silence, as the dead are wont, And sleep in peace.

   c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], line 90

5. figurativelytransitiveTo be perceived by (someone).

   A brilliant dawn greeted her eyes as she looked out of the window.

   3 more examples

   Muggy heat—temperature in the 90s and high humidity—greeted early arrivals for the 72-hole, three-day test, rated the hardest and most important in the sport.

   1964 June 16, “All Eyes On Lema At U.S. Open This Week”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 22

   The first thing that greets you on entering the church is a notice asking you not to vex the goat, since it renders valuable service in keeping the churchyard tidy.

   1980, AA book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 164

   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.

   2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52

comparative more greet · superlative most greet

1. obsolete outside ScotlandGreat.

present singular third person greets · participle present greeting · participle past greeted · past greeted · participle past grat · past grat · participle past grutten · past grutten

1. Northern EnglandScotlandTo weep; to cry.

   My maw went potty and started greeting.

   2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin, published 2009, page 2

   1 more example

   And damn't! if he didn't take down her bit things and scone her so sore she grat like a bairn [...].

   1933, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Cloud Howe (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 312

   Synonyms: beweep, burst into tears, cry, cry one's eyes out, shed a tear, shed tears, squirt some, wail

1. obsoleteuncountableMourning, weeping, lamentation.

plural Greets

1. countableuncountableA surname.
2. countableuncountableA village in Winchcombe parish, Tewkesbury borough, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SP0229).
3. countableuncountableA hamlet in Swale borough, Kent, England (OS grid ref TQ9255)
4. countableuncountableA suburb in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England (OS grid ref SP1084).
5. countableuncountableA minor river in Nottinghamshire, England, which joins the River Trent at Fiskerton (Notts.).