salute

Syllables: sa·lute/səˈl(j)uːt//səˈlut/

salute noun: an utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.

Image: Viktor Gurniak, Yarko, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

salute (plural salutes)

An utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.
- The soldiers greeted the dignitaries with a crisp salute.
- The Roman salute, in which the right arm was raised in a straight and perpendicular manner, had been adopted by D'Annunzio during his regency in Fiume. Like other rituals utilized by D'Annunzio, the salute became part of the rising fascist movement's symbolic patrimony and was inherited by...1997, Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy, page 110
A kiss, offered in salutation.
- [M]aking an apology which, not suspecting his intention, I did not understand, – he gave me a most ardent salute! I have seldom been more surprised. I had no idea of his taking such a freedom.1775, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, 8 May
A discharge of cannon or similar arms, as a mark of honour or respect.
A pyrotechnic device primarily designed to produce a loud bang.

Verb

salute (third-person singular simple present salutes, present participle saluting, simple past and past participle saluted)

(ambitransitive) To make a gesture in honor of (someone or something).
- They saluted the flag as it passed in the parade.
- Yet the simple fact stands that a school child compelled to salute the flag, when he has been taught the flag is an "image" which the Bible forbids him to worship, is in effect made to say what he does not believe.1943 June 19, New York Times, quoted in 2000, Terry Eastland, Freedom of Expression in the Supreme Court: The Defining Cases, page 64
To act in thanks, honor, or tribute; to thank or extend gratitude; to praise.
- I would like to salute the many dedicated volunteers that make this project possible.
- I salute every preaching and teaching woman with the courage to step out on faith and trust God with her life and her calling.2000, Stephanie Barber, Reap the Harvest for Your Life, page vii
(Ireland, informal) to wave, to acknowledge an acquaintance.
- I saluted Bill at the concert, but he didn't see me through the crowd.
To address, as with expressions of kind wishes and courtesy; to greet; to hail.
- Then I salute you with this kingly title: / Long live Richard, England's royal king!c. 1592, William Shakespeare, edited by William George Clark and William Aldis Wright, King Richard III, The Works of William Shakespeare edition, published 1867, act 3, scene 7, page 578, line 239
- He was saluted by Mr. James Hall, with these words: “Well, brother chip! How many murders have you been committing?”1853, Talbot Gwynne, The School for Dreamers: A Story of the Present Day, page 208
To promote the welfare and safety of; to benefit; to gratify.
- Would I had no being, / If this salute my blood a jot; it faints me, / To think what follows.1623, William Shakespeare, edited by Howard Staunton, King Henry the Eighth, The Works of William Shakespeare edition, volume 3, published 1864, act 2, scene 3, page 292
(archaic) To kiss.
- #*:Twice indeed with rapture, which once she called rude, did I salute her; and each time, resenting the freedom, did she retire […].1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CCXX”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […]...
- [T]his young gentleman, who was naturally facetious, in taking his leave, saluted us all round. My lord, who had before entertained some jealousy of his kinsman, was very much provoked by this trifling incident […].1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter 88, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume III, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC

salute meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

salute in Hindi

salute, salutation, greeting: सलामी salāmī

salute in Tamil

வீரவணக்கம், வணக்கம் தெரிவி, வணக்கந்தெரிவி, வணக்கம், வணக்கமுறை

salute in Marathi

सलाम, अभिवादन, सलाम करण्यासाठी

salute in Urdu

formal gesture: سَلَام salām
make a gesture: سَلَام کَرْنا salām karnā

More languagesFewer languages

salute in Bengali: অভিবাদন, সম্মান প্রদর্শন, সামরিক স্যালুট, সম্মান প্রদর্শন করা
salute in Telugu: వందనం, వందనం చేయడానికి, వందనం చెయ్యడానికి
salute in Malayalam: സല്യൂട്ട്, അഭിവാദനം, വന്ദിക്കുക, സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്യുക
salute in Kannada: ಅಭಿವಂದಿಸಿ, ನಳಿ, ಕಯ್ಮುಗಿ, ಕೈಮುಗಿ
salute in Punjabi: ਸਲਾਮ, ਸਲਾਮ ਕਰੋ, ਸਲਾਮ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ
salute in Gujarati: સલામ salām
salute in Odia: ସାଲ୍ଯ଼ୁଟ
salute in Sanskrit: आमन्त्रयते āmantrayate
salute in Nepali: सलाम, सलाम गर्न
salute in Tagalog: pagpugay, pagsaludo, pagbati, pugay
salute in Malay: hormat
salute in Indonesian: hormat

Examples of salute in a sentence

The Roman salute, in which the right arm was raised in a straight and perpendicular manner, had been adopted by D'Annunzio during his regency in Fiume.1997, Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy, page 110:
And Kaszaat let out a shriek of pure anger, bursting forwards suddenly, flinging her hand up towards Drephos as though in salute.2010, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Salute the Dark: Shadows of the Apt 4, unnumbered page:
The person who salutes is slavishly obedient, fearful to offend the authorities or other people; the person who declines to salute has integrity and independence.2000, Eric A. Posner, Law and Social Norms, page 129:

All 40 example sentences with salute

Forms of salute

Noun
plural	salutes
Verb
third-person singular present	salutes
present participle	saluting
past participle	saluted
past	saluted

Past tense of salute: saluted

Plural of salute: salutes

Origin of salute

Borrowed from Latin salūtō (“to greet; to wish health to”), from salūs (“greeting, good health”), related to salvus (“safe”).

Phrases with salute

salute states

Words that rhyme with salute

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about salute

What does salute mean?: Salute means an utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.
What is salute in Hindi?: Salute in Hindi is सलामी (salāmī). See Salute meaning in Hindi.
How do you use salute in a sentence?: The Roman salute, in which the right arm was raised in a straight and perpendicular manner, had been adopted by D'Annunzio during his regency in Fiume.
What part of speech is salute?: Salute can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce salute?: Salute is pronounced /səˈl(j)uːt/ (UK).
What is the plural of salute?: The plural of salute is salutes.

Words near salute in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: salute (page history and authors); सलामी (Hindi) (page history and authors); salute (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); salute (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); salute (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); salute (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); salute (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); salute (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); salute (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); સલામ (Gujarati) (page history and authors); salute (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); आमन्त्रयते (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); salute (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-salute.ogg, En-us-salute.ogg.

Cite this entry: “salute.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/salute. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.