tribute
Americannoun
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a gift, testimonial, compliment, or the like, given as due or in acknowledgment of gratitude or esteem.
- Synonyms:
- eulogy, commendation, recognition
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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.
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a rent, tax, or the like, as that paid by a subject to a sovereign.
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any exacted or enforced payment or contribution.
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obligation or liability to make such payment.
noun
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a gift or statement made in acknowledgment, gratitude, or admiration
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a payment by one ruler or state to another, usually as an acknowledgment of submission
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any tax levied for such a payment
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(in feudal society) homage or a payment rendered by a vassal to his lord
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the obligation to pay tribute
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
Explanation
A tribute is a sign of respect or admiration, an award to honor a person's accomplishments. A famous director receives a lifetime achievement award as a tribute to his many successful films. We're most familiar with the use of the word tribute meaning to honor someone with words or an award. You can hear a tribute if you're lucky enough to attend an entertainment awards ceremony, or need to attend a funeral. Students will give a retiring teacher flowers as a tribute to her years of service in education. Tribute can also mean a kind of payment that's given from one nation to another.
Vocabulary lists containing tribute
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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Tears of a Tiger
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Africa - Introductory
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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.
Appeared in the December 10, 2025, print edition as 'ESPN’s Tribute To a Vibrant Voice'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025
As fate would have it, Posey’s post-“Lotus” Legend Tribute arrived just days before the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough performance in the 1995 Sundance hit, “Party Girl.”
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2025
The art installation, entitled The People's Tribute, has taken Witney-based artist Dan Barton four years to plan.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2024
Lynch drew the biggest roar from the crowd when he was announced as part of “A Tribute to Seattle Sports” during the second-period break.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2024
Tribute is payment of some kind that a ruler demands of peoples who have been conquered.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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.
