congratulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to express pleasure to (a person), as on a happy occasion.
They congratulated him on his marriage.
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Archaic. to express sympathetic joy or satisfaction at (an event).
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Obsolete. to salute.
verb
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(usually foll by on) to communicate pleasure, approval, or praise to (a person or persons); compliment
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(often foll by on) to consider (oneself) clever or fortunate (as a result of)
she congratulated herself on her tact
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obsolete to greet
Other Word Forms
- congratulation noun
- congratulator noun
- congratulatory adjective
- precongratulate verb (used with object)
- uncongratulated adjective
- uncongratulating adjective
Etymology
Origin of congratulate
1540–50; < Latin congrātulātus, past participle of congrātulārī. See congratulant, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was swift to congratulate Shah on Friday, saying he looked forward to taking "India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights", he said in a statement.
From Barron's
In 2020, the industry was given a boost when Prime Minister Modi congratulated the farmers of Kutch in Gujarat for their success in cultivating and exporting the fruit.
From BBC
When it comes to smog, let’s not congratulate ourselves too much; it was technology that did the heavy lifting, not demanding much in the way of sacrifice or even change in our behavior.
From Los Angeles Times
Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang even appeared in a video at the Arm event, congratulating the company on the launch.
Spalding was with Mirabal and headed home to share the moment with his parents when he received a text from the MIT volleyball coach walking out the door congratulating him.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
