respect
Americannoun
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respects
plural
-
a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded byin ).
to differ in some respect.
-
relation or reference.
inquiries with respect to a route.
- Synonyms:
- connection, regard
-
esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.
I have great respect for her judgment.
- Synonyms:
- honor, homage, reverence, estimation
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deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment.
respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.
-
the condition of being esteemed or honored.
to be held in respect.
-
respects, a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or friendship.
Give my respects to your parents.
-
favor or partiality.
- Synonyms:
- preference, bias
-
Archaic. a consideration.
verb (used with object)
-
respects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
respected,
past participle, past
-
respecting
present participle
idioms
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pay one's respects,
-
to visit in order to welcome, greet, etc..
We paid our respects to the new neighbors.
-
to express one's sympathy, especially to survivors following a death.
We paid our respects to the family.
-
-
in respect that, because of; since.
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in respect of, in reference to; in regard to; concerning.
-
with respect to, referring to; concerning.
with respect to your latest request.
noun
-
an attitude of deference, admiration, or esteem; regard
-
the state of being honoured or esteemed
-
a detail, point, or characteristic; particular
he differs in some respects from his son
-
reference or relation (esp in the phrases in respect of , with respect to )
-
polite or kind regard; consideration
respect for people's feelings
-
(often plural) an expression of esteem or regard (esp in the phrase pay one's respects )
verb
-
to have an attitude of esteem towards; show or have respect for
to respect one's elders
-
to pay proper attention to; not violate
to respect Swiss neutrality
-
to show consideration for; treat courteously or kindly
-
archaic to concern or refer to
Synonym Usage
Respect, esteem, veneration imply recognition of personal qualities by approbation, deference, and more or less affection. Respect is commonly the result of admiration and approbation, together with deference: to feel respect for a great scholar. Esteem is deference combined with admiration and often with affection: to hold a friend in great esteem. Veneration is an almost religious attitude of deep respect, reverence, and love, such as we feel for persons or things of outstanding superiority, endeared by long association: veneration for one's grandparents, for noble traditions.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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respectsimple
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respectssimple
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have respectedperfect
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has respectedperfect
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am respectingprogressive
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are respectingprogressive
-
is respectingprogressive
-
have been respectingperfect progressive
-
has been respectingperfect progressive
Past
-
respectedsimple
-
had respectedperfect
-
was respectingprogressive
-
were respectingprogressive
-
had been respectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of respect
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun from Old French or directly from Latin respectus “action of looking back, consideration, regard,” equivalent to respec-, variant stem of respicere “to look back” ( re- “back” + specere “to look”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; verb from Latin respectus, past participle of respicere; see re-
Explanation
Respect is a way of treating or thinking about something or someone. If you respect your teacher, you admire her and treat her well. People respect others who are impressive for any reason, such as being in authority — like a teacher or cop — or being older — like a grandparent. You show respect by being polite and kind. For a lot of people, taking your hat off is a show of respect. When people are insulted or treated badly, they feel they haven't been treated with respect. You can respect things as well as people. Saying the Pledge of Allegiance shows respect to your country.
Vocabulary lists containing respect
Memorial Day Words
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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myPerspectives 6.1
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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.
See Examples For:
If you know both parties are coming from a place of respect and trust, it’s absolutely OK to say, “We love spending time together, but we don’t have the same budget.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and Iran, based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, are legitimate and lawful,” it said in a statement Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
“We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land. We will be very protective of it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
"We have to know how to respect others, the referees, our colleagues. And when someone crosses that line of respect, it's not right - you can't cross that line."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Juanita’s lack of respect to the elderly Teresita embarrassed me.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
She respects him, and I think those things are important.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
In many respects what we’re looking at is the ungentle amortization of Toyota’s last-generation global EV technology, rather than the next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
"Weather respects no borders, and this is especially true for water," Saulo said, arguing for the importance of "shared data, shared standards and shared early warnings".
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
They arrived through painstaking reporting by ProPublica and The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins and were confirmed in meaningful respects by the people involved.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
In many respects, the Mutual was the closest thing to a government that the nation of black Americans had at that time.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
The idea reassures believers that true patriots like themselves will soon be financially secure, respected, and healthy—and it also offers more immediate relief too.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“This person is respected in the community for what he brings, which is knowledge and insight and fun and flair,” says Guidera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Oyo's family quickly called a press conference to denounce the announcement, insisting the late king's written wishes should be respected.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
There have been no major photo opportunities and the tabloid press seems, for now at least, to have respected their wishes to be left alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
She was just beginning further education in music at the Moscow State Conservatory, one of the most respected music schools in the entire world.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
But I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a difference between respecting someone’s independence and refusing to let the people who love you help.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
After he criticized Costa Rica’s system of government as a “perfect dictatorship,” eight former presidents of the country released a joint statement defending Costa Rica’s tradition of respecting the rule of law and human rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The priority is "the return and repatriation of the greatest possible number of people, adults and minors", while respecting Spanish law and human rights, Torres told reporters after the cabinet approved the measure.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Article 4, Section 3 of the Constitution confers on Congress the exclusive power to “dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the … property of the United States.”
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
No self- respecting Dauntless man would say the word “testy.”
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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.
