Green in English: Meanings, Uses & Idioms (with Examples)

Green in English: Meanings, Uses & Idioms (with Examples)

The word green is one of those wonderfully flexible English words that seem simple at first… and then quietly appear everywhere. We talk about green energy, green politicians, green workers, green light, green fingers, and even people who are green with envy. Sometimes green is a colour. Sometimes it’s about nature. Sometimes it’s about money, experience, or even jealousy. In other words: green is not just a colour in English — it’s an idea, an attitude, and a whole family of expressions. Green in English

If you are preparing for exams like B2 First (FCE) or C1 Advanced (CAE), many of these meanings and idioms can make your speaking and writing sound more natural, precise, and confident.

Let’s explore how English really uses the word green.

Green as a colour and a basic description

First, the simple meaning: green is a colour — the colour of grass, leaves, and many plants.

We also use green to describe fruit or vegetables that are not ripe yet:

• Put those green bananas on the table. We’ll eat them when they are ripe.

In everyday English, especially in American English, greens means green vegetables:

• Make sure you eat enough greens every day.

Green = environmentally friendly

In modern English, green is closely associated with the environment and ecology. If someone is green, they try to live in a way that is environmentally responsible:

• My neighbour is very green. She recycles most of her waste and avoids plastic.
• Sweden is one of the greenest countries in the world because it has reduced pollution and carbon emissions.
• They built the new stadium with green principles in mind.

Here, green can also be a verb:

• The company is trying to green its building projects.
• More and more young people are going green these days.

This meaning is very useful for Cambridge speaking and essay topics about the environment, cities, lifestyle, and the future.

Green = inexperienced or naive

If someone is green, they are new, inexperienced, or a bit naive:

• Martin is still a bit green, but he’s learning fast.
• He’s intelligent, but still a little green when it comes to politics.

This is a very natural, informal way to talk about lack of experience.

Green = money (especially in American English)

In American English, green is often used to refer to money, because US dollars are green:

• He only did it for the green.
• They’re trying to raise more green for the project.

You may also hear expressions like green stuff or green paper.

Useful idioms and expressions with GREEN

Now let’s look at some of the most useful and common idioms with green.

The village green

The village green is a grassy area in the centre of a village, often used as a meeting or play area.

• The children were playing on the village green while the adults were chatting nearby.
• Go past the village green and turn left.

Green around the gills

If someone looks green around the gills, they look ill or sick.

• He looked green around the gills after the boat trip.
• After two sleepless nights, she looked green around the gills.

Green with envy

If someone is green with envy, they are very jealous.

• She was green with envy when she saw her friend’s new car.
• His colleagues went green with envy when he got the promotion.

The green-eyed monster

This is another expression for jealousy.

• He tried to keep the green-eyed monster under control.
• The green-eyed monster has destroyed many relationships.

Have green fingers / have a green thumb

Both mean: to be good at gardening.

• My grandmother has green fingers — everything in her garden grows beautifully.
• You need patience and a green thumb to grow roses like that.

Green-collar worker

A green-collar worker works in the environmental or ecological sector.

• More people are training to become green-collar workers.
• She wants a career in renewable energy as a green-collar worker.

The rub of the green

This means luck, especially in sports or uncertain situations.

• We’ll need the rub of the green to win this match.
• Sometimes success is just the rub of the green.

Give/get the green light

To give the green light means to give permission. To get the green light means to receive permission.

• The manager gave the green light to start the project.
• We’re just waiting to get the green light from the government.

The putting green

In golf, the putting green is the short grass area where players finish a hole.

• He spent an hour practising on the putting green.

Where on God’s green earth…?

This is an emphatic, emotional way to ask a question, usually showing surprise or confusion.

• Where on God’s green earth did you find that hat?

These meanings and idioms with green are extremely common in real English, very useful for B2 and C1 speaking and writing and perfect for talking about the environment, work and careers, emotions, experience and everyday life.

The word green proves something important: in English, simple words often have rich and surprising lives.

If you want to sound more natural and more advanced, don’t just learn long, difficult words — learn how ordinary words are used in extraordinary ways.

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