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tribute

American  
[trib-yoot] / ˈtrɪb yut /

noun

  1. a gift, testimonial, compliment, or the like, given as due or in acknowledgment of gratitude or esteem.

    Synonyms:
    eulogy, commendation, recognition

  2. a stated sum or other valuable consideration paid by one sovereign or state to another in acknowledgment of subjugation or as the price of peace, security, protection, or the like.

  3. a rent, tax, or the like, as that paid by a subject to a sovereign.

  4. any exacted or enforced payment or contribution.

    Synonyms:
    duty, impost, toll, levy

  5. obligation or liability to make such payment.

tribute British  
/ ˈtrɪbjuːt /

noun

  1. a gift or statement made in acknowledgment, gratitude, or admiration

    1. a payment by one ruler or state to another, usually as an acknowledgment of submission

    2. any tax levied for such a payment

  3. (in feudal society) homage or a payment rendered by a vassal to his lord

  4. the obligation to pay tribute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tribute

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tribut, from Latin tribūtum “levied payment,” noun use of neuter past participle of tribuere “to assign, allot,” verb derivative of tribus tribe

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.

It’s a tribute to the elderly, the anonymous worker bee explains.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The trove of fossils found during the museum’s expansion gets a fitting tribute in a 75,000 square-meter swath of concrete on the plaza scored with ropelike patterns, paw prints and serpent-like shapes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

On Monday Chloe's family released a tribute to their "beautiful princess", who lived in Gomersal in Kirklees, about 17 miles from Austhorpe.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

France on Thursday bid farewell to former prime minister Lionel Jospin, with President Emmanuel Macron leading a national tribute to the influential left‑wing statesman credited with major welfare reforms.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Their economy is based on reciprocal exchanges between individuals or families, rather than on a redistribution of tribute paid to some central authority.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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.