green card

noun

: an identity card attesting the permanent resident status of an alien in the U.S.

green-carder

ˈgrēn-ˈkär-dər 

noun

Examples of green card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress intentionally wrote the law so the program would not provide a path to citizenship — only a person who is married to a U.S. citizen or has a U.S. citizen child who is 21 years of age and older can get sponsored for a green card, which is the first step to getting citizenship. —Astrid Galván, Axios, 7 Dec. 2024

As Tom Birchard enjoys retirement with his wife in Vermont, Vitalii, Veselka’s director of operations, lives in Tom’s Manhattan home with his mother who recently got her green card, both of whom are originally from Ukraine and are featured in Veselka. —Vicki Salemi, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

Marking the sophomore feature of Lee, the original Wedding Banquet followed Wai-Tung, a gay Taiwanese-American, who agrees to marry Wei-Wei, an artist in need of a green card, to please his traditional parents. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024

Many are here under federal humanitarian programs, while others hold green cards or tourist visas. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that it was formerly colored green

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

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