green

Noun (1)

green (countable and uncountable, plural greens)

1. The color of grass and leaves; a primary additive color midway between yellow and blue which is evoked by light between roughly 495–570 nm.
   • In a period of increasing industrialization and the palette of grey, brown, and black that came to dominate the modern city, greens provided a refreshing contrast, seemingly bringing the outdoors in.2015, Alison Matthews David, Fashion Victims: The Damages of Dress Past and Present, →ISBN, page 81
   • Red No. 3, red No. 40, blue No. 2 and green No. 3 all have been linked with cancer or tumors in animals. Other sources say red No. 40 and yellow No. 5 and No. 6 contain or may be contaminated with known carcinogens.2025 March 29, Kristen Rogers, “Over half of US states are trying to eliminate food dyes. Here’s what you can do now”, in CNN

   Synonyms:

   emerald, lime

2. (capitalized, sometimes) A member of a green party; an environmentalist.
   • How have greens sought to map an ecologically and socially sustainable future for society?2013, Joe Smith, What Do Greens Believe?, →ISBN, page 62

   Synonyms:

   environmentalist, greenie, tree hugger, treehugger

3. A putting green, the part of a golf course near the hole.
   • I gave him my putter earlier this year in Oklahoma City. He was having trouble on the greens and I said, ‘Here, try this.’ He did, and he’s been going great guns ever since.1964 June 16, Arnold Palmer, quotee, “All Eyes On Lema At U.S. Open This Week”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 22
   • There are eighteen holes but I dare any visitor to find more than, say, twelve fairways and seven or eight greens.2010, Dan Jenkins, Fairways and Greens, →ISBN, page 233
4. (bowls) The surface upon which bowls is played.

   Synonyms:

   bowling green

5. One of the color balls used in snooker, with a value of 3 points.
6. (UK) A public patch of land in the middle of a settlement.
7. A grassy plain; a piece of ground covered with verdant herbage.
   • o'er the smooth enamelled green1634, John Milton, “Arcades”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC
8. (in plural) Fresh leaves or branches of trees or other plants; wreaths.
   • In that ſoft Seaſon vvhen deſcending Shovvers / Call forth the Greens, and vvake the riſing Flovvers; […]1715, [Alexander] Pope, The Temple of Fame: A Vision, London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 7
9. Any substance or pigment of a green color.
10. A green light used as a signal.
    • To the casual cockpit observer, landing-gear operation appears to be one of the most elementary tasks we have to perform. Either the switch is up and the lights are out, or it's down and there are three greens.1992, “How to Avoid the Most Embarrassing of Pilot Errors”, in Flying Magazine, volume 119, number 6, page 94
11. (slang, uncountable) Marijuana.
    • You're better off smoking the green instead cause it don't blim-burn and it's better for your head.2003, “Soap Bar”, in The Manifesto, performed by Goldie Looking Chain
    • They see me, hoes actin like they seen a king / With that mean lean, smokin on that finest Cali green2005, “Drive Slow”, in Late Registration, performed by Kanye West

    Synonyms:

    bhang, benj, boo, broccoli, bud, buddha, cannabis, cheeba, choof, daccha

12. (US, slang, uncountable) Money.
13. (particle) One of the three color charges for quarks.

Adjective (1)

green (comparative greener, superlative greenest)

1. Of a green hue.
   • He is wearing a green shirt.
   • The former flag of Libya is fully green.

   Synonyms:

   verdant, vert, greenish, greenly, greeny, verdurous, virescent, virid, viridescent

   Antonyms:

   nongreen, ungreen

2. (figuratively) Sickly, unwell.
   • Sally looks pretty green—is she going to be sick?
   • to look so green and palec. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
3. Unripe, said of certain fruits that change color when they ripen.

   Antonyms:

   ripe

4. (figuratively) Inexperienced.
   • John's kind of green, so take it easy on him this first week.
   • I might be angry[…] with the officious zeal which supposes that its green conceptions can instruct my grey hairs.1822, [Walter Scott], Peveril of the Peak. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   callow, experienceless, inexperienced, unexperienced, fresh, new, punk, pup, raw, strange

5. (capitalized, sometimes) Islamist.
   • In its most extreme formulation, this vision has devolved into a caricature of Islam as the "Green Peril" (green is the colour of Islam) advancing across the world stage, an image that echoes both the "Red Menace" of Cold War discourse and anti-Asian polemics about the "Yellow Peril".1999, Roxanne L. Euben, Enemy in the Mirror: Islamic Fundamentalism and the Limits of Modern Rationalism, page 6
   • Some politicians tried to encourage this replacement of the red with a green menace.2006, Benjamin Soares, Muslim-Christian encounters in Africa, page 11
6. (figuratively) Full of life and vigour; fresh and vigorous; new; recent; young.
   • a green manhood
   • a green wound

   Synonyms:

   new, all-new, brand new, brand spanking new, cherry, fresh, freshly made, hot, mint, nascent

7. (figuratively) Naive or unaware of obvious facts.

   Synonyms:

   gullible, credulous, naive, fleeceable, naif, born yesterday, fresh off the boat, wide-eyed

8. (figuratively) Overcome with envy.
   • He was green with envy.

   Synonyms:

   envious

9. (figuratively) Environmentally friendly.
   • green energy
   • Green New Deal

   Synonyms:

   eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, environment-friendly, ecological, ecologically friendly

10. (capitalized, sometimes) Of a green party, environmentalism-oriented.
11. Describing a pitch which, even if there is no visible grass, still contains a significant amount of moisture.
12. (dated) Of bacon or similar smallgoods: unprocessed, raw, unsmoked; not smoked or spiced.

    Synonyms:

    raw, unprocessed, unsmoked

    Antonyms:

    processed, smoked, spiced

Verb

green (third-person singular simple present greens, present participle greening, simple past and past participle greened)

1. (transitive) To make or turn (something) green or greener.
   • Great spring before greened all the year.a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC
   • Out of that tub had come the day before—Tess felt it with a dreadful sting of remorse - the very white frock upon her back which she had so carelessly greened about the skirt on the damping grass - which had been wrung up and ironed by her mother's own hands.1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume I, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC, phase the first (The Maiden), page 30
2. To become or grow green in color.
   • O rosetree planted in my grief, / And growing, on her tomb, / Her dust is greening in your leaf, / Her blood is in your bloom.1885, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “The Ancient Sage”, in Tiresias and Other Poems, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 63
   • by greening slope and singing flood1886, John Greenleaf Whittier, Flowers in Winter
3. (transitive) To add greenspaces to (a town, etc.).
   • The newer 39-story, 1.5-million-square-foot tower occupies much of the original Shearson Garden, a larger parklet that briefly greened the construction site to be, and is remembered fondly by nearby Tribecans.2000, AIA Guide to New York City, page 58
4. (intransitive) To become environmentally aware.

   Synonyms:

   greenen, engreen

5. (transitive) To make (something) environmentally friendly.
   • "The SNP like to talk the talk about net zero targets, but they can't walk the walk. We need a fares freeze for everyone if we want to get serious about greening the economy and a public railway run in the public interest."2023 June 28, Conrad Landin, “Network News: Scottish 4.8% rail fares rise labelled 'bad news'”, in RAIL, number 986, page 18

Interjection

1. (procedure word) Used to indicate that the speaker wishes to commence (or to continue a previously stopped) sexual activity.

Proper noun capitalized: Green

IPA/ɡɹiːn/

Green (countable and uncountable, plural Greens)

1. A common English surname from Middle English.
   • When mathematicians face a question they cannot answer, they sometimes devise a less stringent question, in the hope that solving it will provide insights. This is the path that Tao took in 2004, in collaboration with Ben Green of Oxford.2015 July 24, Gareth Cook, “The Singular Mind of Terry Tao”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 18 Mar 2020
2. A minor city in Clay County, Kansas.
3. An unincorporated community in Elliott County, Kentucky.
4. A city in Summit County, Ohio, formerly a township.
5. A census-designated place in Douglas County, Oregon.
6. A number of townships in the United States, listed under Green Township.
7. A hamlet in Denbigh community, Denbighshire (OS grid ref SJ0568).
8. A northern suburb of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire (OS grid ref SM9801).
9. A settlement in Churchstoke community, Powys (OS grid ref SO2694).
10. (abbreviation, ellipsis, historical, informal, Oxford University) Ellipsis of Green College, Oxford.

Adjective (2) capitalized: Green

IPA/ɡɹiːn/

Green (not comparable)

1. Of, or pertaining, to a Green Party or green party.

Noun (2) capitalized: Green

IPA/ɡɹiːn/

Green (plural Greens)

1. A member of a Green Party or green party.