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to green

to green

12 3.8
Become covered with new leaves or grass
  • verb
  • /ɡrin/
translation icon : reverdecer
  • Yes, it is finally (thankfully) greening up here, just in time for fall.

Examples

  • The wheat grass has grown and greened up like absolute crazy.

  • So I'm really excited to see some green plants.

  • You can see new little green growth coming out there.

  • A nice warm shower to green things up.

  • Nice healthy looking roots, some green growth in there.

  • Maybe a little later, when the marsh starts to green up?

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Spring has come to this southern city, however, and under the smog, rice is greening.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • In his travels at the end, however, he notices the landscape is greening, the fires having burned themselves out.

    Academic text (1994)
  • A rare midsummer thunderstorm the day before had not only greened the mesquite trees but had also cooled things off.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The trees are starting to green with fresh leaves after the long winter.

Synonyms

to regreen
vsto green
6.2

To grow plants again after damage like fire or drought

turn leafy with new growth initially rather than after damage or loss

Antonyms

91 4.4

To become dry and weak, as with plants or feelings

50 2.0

To make something a darker color by heat, for example when cooking or in the sun

Idioms

green with envy
  • Informal
5 4.5

Feeling very jealous because someone has something you want

still green
  • Informal
2 5.2

A person who is new and not yet experienced in a job or field

green as grass
  • Informal
1 7.5

A person who does not know much yet about a job or task

in green
  • Specialized
1 6.0

An investment or account that shows a profit

8.8

Looking pale and sick, often feeling like you will vomit

7.2

Not very experienced in a job or area

8.1

To look at the slope and surface of a golf green to decide how to hit a putt

Phrasal Verbs

7 3.8

Start choosing and doing things that help the environment, like recycling or using solar power

Compounds

52 3.4

An official card that allows a foreign person to live and work permanently in the United States

46 2.3

A signal that lets you start or continue something, for example a traffic light

28 1.0

A long green pod you cook and eat as a side

23 1.0

Tea from leaves steamed and dried with a light fresh taste

22 5.1

A soldier in the United States Army trained for secret, dangerous missions

16 3.7

A political party that wants to protect the environment and support fair social policies

12 1.1

A young onion with a long green stalk and mild taste eaten raw in salads

12 1.0

A deep shade of green like pine needles

9 1.0

A sweet pepper picked while green that turns red when ripe

green thumb
  • Informal
8 3.6

A natural ability to make plants grow well

7 8.2

A small green creature said to come from another planet

7 1.0

A cold dish of raw green leaves people often eat with oil and vinegar

The whole natural world or the planet

6 1.8

A color that is a mix of blue and green

5 6.7

A feeling of jealousy toward someone you see as a rival

5 1.0

A pale green color like fresh grass

4 6.0

Feeling jealous because you fear being replaced

An area of very short grass around a golf hole where players putt

3 3.9

A green color mixed with gray

3 3.0

A green living thing that grows on wet rocks, damp wood, or still water

A plant food with green edible leaves like spinach or lettuce

2 2.1

A small unripe olive kept in salty water and often eaten as a snack or on salads

2 6.8

A line that marks the border between Israel and its neighbors after the 1948 war

A grassy common area in a village used for play and events

1 3.5

Young leaves of the beet plant that you can cook or eat in salads

1 1.1

A banana that is not ripe and is still green and firm

green bean
  • Indian
1 1.0

A small round seed used in Asian cooking, often dried or soaked

1 1.0

A small round green seed you eat as a vegetable

1 3.9

A large sea turtle with a smooth greenish shell that lives in warm seas

A drink you make by blending leafy green vegetables and fruit

A period in the 1960s and 1970s when new seeds and fertilizers greatly increased food crops

blue-green
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A way to release software using two identical systems to move users to the new version

Leaves of the dandelion plant eaten in salads or cooked

green frog
  • Specialized
1 1.6

A common North American frog that lives near ponds and marshes

A range of mountains in Vermont, USA that are part of the Appalachian Mountains

1 3.2

A river in the western United States that starts in Wyoming and flows south into the Colorado River

1 2.4

A soft green color with a yellow tint like fresh peas

1 1.6

A color that is a mix of blue and green

blue-green algae
  • Specialized
1 4.1

Tiny living things in water that make food from light and often look blue-green

1 4.4

A flat area of short grass where people play bowls

Green with a hint of brown

little green man
  • Literature
1 9.6

A soldier in green with no badge sent so a country can deny sending them

1 3.7

A dull yellowish green like the colour of moss

1 3.2

A green color mixed with gray

1 3.0

Young corn picked and eaten before it ripens

green fairy
  • Slang
1 9.6

A strong green alcoholic drink made from herbs

1 6.5

A natural ability to make plants grow well and stay healthy

green manure
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A crop that farmers grow and then plow into soil to add nutrients

1 9.7

A carved face made from or surrounded by leaves that shows nature and new life

1 2.8

A place outside where farmers sell fresh fruits and vegetables

1 6.5

A West African monkey that lives in open grasslands with a greenish-grey back and a yellow tail

1 7.5

A soup made from the meat of green turtles, often served as a special food

1 3.4

A soft cleaning product made from plant oils for washing and treating skin

green-winged teal
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A small duck that has a bright green patch on its wings

1 3.5

A soft greyish green like the leaves of a garden herb

1 2.4

A dark yellowish green color like leaves and army uniforms

1 1.5

A green color like the sea

1 4.2

A light green color with a shiny silvery look

A green color with a little yellow that looks fresh

Green with a small blue tone

A color that is a mix of blue and green

A dark green like the color of glass bottles

Dark green like the glass of a bottle

A green color with a little brown mixed in

A low, soft green plant with creeping stems often used to make Christmas wreaths

A shade of green used in Christmas decorations and clothing

chrome green
  • Archaic
7.3

A bright green color made by mixing yellow and blue used in paint and ink

chrome green
  • Archaic
6.2

A vivid green color often used in paint and dye

A medium yellow-green like fresh young plant leaves

African green monkey
  • South African
6.2

A monkey that lives on the African savanna with greenish-grey fur and a yellow tail

A green color with a little yellow-brown tint

A small green or yellow-green toad with black bars and stripes found in North America

A small toad from Europe and Asia that is mostly green

How Green

to grow
801 1.0
to green
12 3.8
to sprout
68 2.0

Surface Forms

green infinitive
greened past
greened past participle
greening present participle
greens third person singular

Etymology

Green as a verb comes from the old English grēne meaning 'to grow' and 'grass', so for land or plants to 'green' is to become covered in new green growth. That's why fields 'green' in spring when new shoots appear.