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.
The New England university shootings Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national with a green card, killed two Brown University students and injured nine more during a finals week study session, according to police in Providence, Rhode Island. Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025 Five Quruxlow employees are too afraid to come to work despite having green cards, its owner said. Dee Depass Star Tribune, Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2025 Officials then granted him a green card. Eryn Dion, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025 Michelle Mittelstadt, a spokeswoman for the Migration Policy Institute, an immigration policy think tank, said millions apply every year for the few green cards. Jay Marques, NBC news, 20 Dec. 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 3 Jan. 2026.

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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