green
gb/ɡɹˈin/ us/ɡɹˈin/
A1
English
~ 2600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A1
property
1
of the color green
Having the color of grass or leaves.
Usage pattern:
[something] is green
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'green' for 'blue' or 'yellow' in contexts where shades are ambiguous.
Synonyms
verdant (More literary or descriptive, often used for lush vegetation.)
Antonyms
red (Opposite on the traditional color wheel; strong contrasting color.)
Collocations
bright green
|dark green
|light green
|green eyes
|green grass
Themes
colors
|nature
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The walls were painted a soft green.
- She wore a bright green dress to the party.
- The traffic light turned green, and the cars started moving.
Learner examples
- The tree has green leaves.
- My shirt is green.
- The light is green now.
adjective
B1
property
2
inexperienced or naive
New to something and not having much experience.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is green
Common mistake:
Learners may take 'green' literally as a color instead of understanding it as describing inexperience.
Synonyms
inexperienced (Direct synonym, commonly used in both formal and informal contexts.)
Antonyms
experienced (Has skill and knowledge from doing something for a long time.)
Collocations
green recruit
|green employee
|greenhorn
Themes
work
|learning
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He's still green when it comes to public speaking.
- The new recruits are a bit green, but they learn fast.
- She was too green to handle such a big project alone.
Learner examples
- I am green in this job.
- He is green at cooking.
- She is green at driving.
adjective
B1
property
3
environmentally friendly
Good for the environment and not causing harm to nature.
Usage pattern:
[something] is green
Common mistake:
Learners might confuse 'green' meaning color with environmental meaning without context.
Synonyms
eco-friendly (Colloquial and widely used synonym for environmentally friendly.)
Antonyms
polluting (Causing harm to the environment.)
Collocations
green energy
|green technology
|green products
Themes
environment
|sustainability
|science
|nature
Examples
- They are investing in green energy projects.
- The city is promoting green transportation options.
- We try to live a greener lifestyle by recycling.
Learner examples
- This car is green because it uses less fuel.
- We use green bags at the store.
- Solar panels are green energy.
Noun
B2
entity
4
golf putting surface
The part of a golf course with short grass where the hole is.
Synonyms
putting surface (Technical term used in golf for the same concept.)
Collocations
on the green
|approach the green
|putt on the green
Themes
sports
Examples
- He landed his ball on the green with his second shot.
- The greens were fast after the rain stopped.
- She practiced putting on the green.
Learner examples
- The ball is on the green.
- We walked to the green.
- He putts on the green.
Noun
A2
entity
5
public grassy area
A place with grass in a town where people can sit or play.
Synonyms
lawn (Smaller, private grassy area; not usually public land.)
Collocations
village green
|town green
Themes
places
|daily life
|daily_life
|nature
Examples
- Children were playing on the village green.
- The protest took place on the town green.
- They had a picnic on the green.
Learner examples
- We sit on the green near my house.
- The kids play on the green every day.
- There is music on the village green.
Grammar
Dictionary form
green
IPA
GB/ɡɹˈin/
US/ɡɹˈin/
Syllables & stress
green (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (green)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: green
- Comparative: greener
- Superlative: greenest
Noun
- Base: green
- Plural: green, greens
Word family
Forms
greens
noun
greener
adjective
greenest
adjective
Core family
greenery
noun
greenish
adjective
Related words
greenhouse
noun B1
Advanced or less common
greenness
noun
Expressions
give someone the green light
1/ɡˈɪv sˈʌmwˌʌn ðə ɡɹˈin lˈaɪt/
idiom
to allow someone to begin something officially
To tell someone they can start doing something officially.
Examples
- They finally gave us the green light to build the new store.
- The director gave her team the green light to begin filming.
green light
1/ɡɹˈin lˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
permission to begin something
Official permission to start an activity or project.
Examples
- The boss gave us the green light to launch the campaign.
- We can't proceed until we get the green light from management.
green with envy
1/ɡɹˈin wˈɪθ ˈɛnvi/
idiom
informal
very jealous of someone or something they have
Feeling very jealous of someone because they have something you want.
Examples
- She was green with envy when she saw his new car.
- When she saw his new sports car, she was green with envy.
- He turned green with envy after hearing about her promotion.
- He was green with envy when he heard about her promotion.
the grass is always greener (on the other side)
1/ðə ɡɹˈæs ˈɪz ˈɔlwˌeɪz ɡɹˈinɚ ˈɔn ðə ˈʌðɚ sˈaɪd/
idiom
informal
thinking others' situations are better than yours
Thinking other people's lives are better than yours, even if they are not really better.
Examples
- He quit his job for another, but now he realizes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
- She always thinks she'd be happier living somewhere else—the grass is always greener.
the grass is always greener (on the other side)
2/ðə ɡɹˈæs ˈɪz ˈɔlwˌeɪz ɡɹˈinɚ ˈɔn ðə ˈʌðɚ sˈaɪd/
idiom
Others' situations seem better than yours
This means people often think other people's lives are better than their own.
Examples
- He wishes he had a different job, but the grass is always greener on the other side.
- I thought moving abroad would be better, but I guess the grass isn't always greener.