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to green

to green

7 3.8
Become covered with new leaves or grass
  • verb
  • /ɡrin/
: 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

50 4.4

To become dry and weak, as with plants or feelings

38 2.0

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

Idioms

green with envy
  • Informal
7 4.5

Feeling very jealous because someone has something you want

in green
  • Specialized
4 6.0

An investment or account that shows a profit

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

1 8.1

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

1 8.8

Looking pale and sick, often feeling like you will vomit

7.2

Not very experienced in a job or area

Phrasal Verbs

14 3.8

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

Compounds

84 2.3

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

67 3.4

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

39 1.0

A long green pod you cook and eat as a side

28 3.7

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

28 1.0

Tea from leaves steamed and dried with a light fresh taste

26 5.1

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

17 1.0

A deep shade of green like pine needles

15 1.0

A sweet pepper picked while green that turns red when ripe

The whole natural world or the planet

14 8.2

A small green creature said to come from another planet

13 1.6

A color that is a mix of blue and green

12 6.0

Feeling jealous because you fear being replaced

11 1.8

A color that is a mix of blue and green

10 1.1

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

green thumb
  • Informal
10 3.6

A natural ability to make plants grow well

8 1.0

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

8 1.0

A pale green color like fresh grass

6 6.7

A feeling of jealousy toward someone you see as a rival

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

5 6.8

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

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

4 3.0

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

4 2.4

A dark yellowish green color like leaves and army uniforms

4 9.9

A fictional food said to be made from people and used to warn about suspicious food

3 1.5

A green color like the sea

3 1.0

A small round green seed you eat as a vegetable

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

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

3 3.9

A green color mixed with gray

A drink you make by blending leafy green vegetables and fruit

blue-green algae
  • Specialized
3 4.1

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

2 3.2

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

2 2.4

A soft green color with a yellow tint like fresh peas

2 3.9

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

2 2.1

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

A plant food with green edible leaves like spinach or lettuce

2 3.5

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

2 1.1

A color between yellow and green like young leaves

2 2.7

Green with a small blue tone

green frog
  • Specialized
2 1.6

A common North American frog that lives near ponds and marshes

1 3.2

A slightly yellow green like fresh peas

1 2.9

A yellowish green color slightly lighter than dark green

1 1.4

A blue-green color like the sea

1 1.7

A light green color that looks partly yellow

1 1.1

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

A widespread change toward renewable energy and cleaner technology

1 2.8

A place outside where farmers sell fresh fruits and vegetables

Leaves of the dandelion plant eaten in salads or cooked

1 3.3

A light green color like the pale green of a jewel

1 3.7

A dull yellowish green like the colour of moss

1 4.1

A green color like a gem, often slightly blue or yellow

1 3.0

A common lizard about a foot long with bright green skin

1 3.5

A soft greyish green like the leaves of a garden herb

A green color with a little yellow that looks fresh

1 3.7

A small green North American snake that eats insects

1 1.3

Fresh fruits and vegetables sold in shops or markets

1 9.9

A slang name for the dried leaves of a plant smoked as a drug

1 3.2

A green color mixed with gray

1 4.2

A light green color with a shiny silvery look

1 6.5

A natural ability to make plants grow well and stay healthy

A soup made from fresh green peas and stock, often with onion and celery

green gold
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A mixture of gold and silver that has a slight green color

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

1 3.9

A dark green like the color of glass bottles

vomit green
  • Slang
1 8.8

A very bright, ugly green like the color when someone is sick

A US state in New England known for mountains and maple syrup

A shade of green used in Christmas decorations and clothing

little green man
  • Literature
1 9.6

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

1 4.3

Green with a yellow or gold tint

1 6.5

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

green manure
  • Specialized
1 4.2

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

1 4.1

Dark green like the glass of a bottle

1 3.4

People buy and sell products and services that are better for the environment

How Green

to grow
371 1.0
to bush out
1 4.4
to green
7 3.8
to sprout
63 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.