What does "greens" mean?
Leaves and leaf-like parts of edible plants when eaten as vegetables or in salads.
Greens
/ɡɹiːnz/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Leaves and leaf-like parts of edible plants when eaten as vegetables or in salads.
- Grammar: greens is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: green, aubergine, bean, beans.
- Useful contrasts: bleach, brown, decolorize.
- Usage evidence: The bright red flowers stood out among the greens.
How to use "greens"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "greens" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "greens" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "greens" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "greens" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "greens" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "green" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "greens", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Leaves and leaf-like parts of edible plants when eaten as vegetables or in salads. plural, plural-only
"salad greens"
- 2 plural of green form-of, plural
- 3 plural of Green form-of, plural
- 4 any of various leafy plants or their leaves and stems eaten as vegetables wordnet
- 5 Green vegetables; edible plants or plant parts that contain chlorophyll. plural, plural-only
"starches, meats, and greens"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Leafy plants that are used for decoration. plural, plural-only
"Yuletide greens"
- 7 The green dress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. plural, plural-only
"Some years ago, moths ruined my greens, and my son, a career Army man, sensed my loss."
Verb
- 1 third-person singular simple present indicative of green form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
Proper Noun
- 1 plural of Green form-of, plural
- 2 The Australian Greens, a left-wing, progressive green party in Australia Australian
- 3 Synonym of Green Party in various other contexts. informal
- 4 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly green, particularly informal
- 5 Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly green, particularly; The chariot-racing faction of the Roman circus and Constantinopolitan hippodrome that wore green. historical, informal
"'Constantinople adopted the follies, though not the virtues of ancient Rome,' wrote Edward Gibbon, 'and the same factions which had agitated the circus raged with redoubled fury in the Hippodrome.' Gibbon's judgment was that what produced the 'redoubled fury' in the Hippodrome was senseless hooliganism, and even though the Blues and Greens could be politicized upon occasion, they had no coherent aims, religious or political. Gibbon's successors had alternative suggestions, the most persistent of which has been that the Blues were supporters of religious orthodoxy and the Greens of Monophysitism."
Antonyms
Example
"The bright red flowers stood out among the greens."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "greens"?
Common synonyms include: green, aubergine, bean, beans, botany, cabbage.
How do you use "greens" in a sentence?
The bright red flowers stood out among the greens.
How do you pronounce "greens"?
Pronounced /ɡɹiːnz/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English grenes, equivalent to green + -s. Compare Saterland Frisian Gräinieten (“vegetable”), West Frisian grienten (“vegetables, greens”), Dutch groenten (“vegetables, greens”), German Low German Gröönten (“vegetables, greens”), Danish grøntsager (“vegetables”), Swedish grönsaker (“vegetables”).
Etymology 2
From green (verb).
Etymology 3
In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin prasinī (“Leek-Greens”) or factio prasina (“the leek-green faction”) and Byzantine Greek Πράσινοι (Prásinoi, “Leek-Greens”).