Welcome Definition

wĕlkəm
welcomed, welcomes, welcoming
adjective
Gladly and cordially received.
A welcome guest.
Webster's New World
Received with pleasure and hospitality into one's company or home.
A welcome guest.
American Heritage
Agreeable or gratifying.
Welcome news.
Webster's New World
Freely and willingly permitted or invited.
Welcome to use the family library.
Webster's New World
Used in the expression you're welcome to acknowledge an expression of gratitude.
American Heritage
noun
welcomes
An act or expression of welcoming.
A hearty (or cold) welcome.
Webster's New World
A cordial greeting or hospitable reception given to an arriving person.
American Heritage
A reception upon arrival.
Gave the stranger an unfriendly welcome.
American Heritage
The state of being welcome.
Don't overstay your welcome.
American Heritage

The act of greeting someone's arrival, especially by saying "Welcome!"; reception.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
verb
welcomed, welcomes, welcoming
To greet with pleasure and hospitality.
Webster's New World
To meet, receive, or acknowledge in a specified way; greet.
Webster's New World
To receive or accept with pleasure or satisfaction.
To welcome criticism.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
interjection
Used to greet cordially a visitor or recent arrival.
American Heritage
You are welcome here.
Webster's New World

Greeting given upon someone's arrival.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
idiom
wear out (one's) welcome
  • To visit so often or stay so long as to become a nuisance.
American Heritage
bid welcome
  • to receive with cordial greetings
Webster's New World
wear out one's welcome
  • to come so often or stay so long that one is no longer welcome
Webster's New World
you're welcome
  • you're under no obligation for the favor given
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Welcome

Noun

Singular:
welcome
Plural:
welcomes

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Welcome

Origin of Welcome

  • From Middle English welcome, wolcume, wulcume, wilcume, from Old English wilcuma ("one whose coming is pleasant, a welcome person or thing, a guest"; compare also wilcume (“welcome!", interjection)), from Proto-Germanic *weljakwumô (“a comer, a welcomed guest"), equivalent to will (“desire") +"Ž come (“comer, arrival"). Cognate with Scots walcome (“welcome"), West Frisian wolkom (“welcome"), Dutch welkom (“welcome"), German willkommen (“welcome"), Danish and Norwegian velkommen (“welcome"), Swedish välkommen (“welcome"), Icelandic velkomin (“welcome").

    From Wiktionary

  • Similar constructions are common in Romance languages, such as Italian benvenuto, Spanish bienvenido, French bienvenue and Portuguese bem-vindo, each meaning “[may you have fared] well [in] coming [here]". These do not derive from Classic Latin, where a similar construction is not found, and presumably are instead the result of a calque from Germanic to Proto-Romance (Vulgar Latin).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English alteration (influenced by wel well) of Old English wilcuma welcome guest, welcome gwā- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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