green card

noun

: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.
green-carder noun

Examples of green card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Immigration Judge Jamee Comans accused the pro-Palestinian activist of omitting information from his green card application. Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025 According to a State Department notice, the government is proposing a $1 fee to register for the Diversity Visa lottery program, one of the ways in which green cards are awarded. Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025 Her family relied on her salary and health insurance; her husband, who is Dominican and has a green card, took irregular freelance gigs as a construction worker, a personal trainer, a dance instructor, and an Uber driver. E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025 Sofi hasn’t been able to finish her and her son’s applications for green cards. ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for green card

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of green card was in 1956

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Green card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/green%20card. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.

Legal Definition

green card

noun
: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.
Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green

More from Merriam-Webster on green card

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