congratulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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congratulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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congratulated,
past participle, past
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congratulating
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
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congratulationnoun
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congratulatornoun
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precongratulateverb (used with object)
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congratulatoryadjective
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uncongratulatedadjective
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uncongratulatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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congratulatesimple
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congratulatessimple
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have congratulatedperfect
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has congratulatedperfect
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am congratulatingprogressive
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are congratulatingprogressive
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is congratulatingprogressive
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have been congratulatingperfect progressive
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has been congratulatingperfect progressive
Past
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congratulatedsimple
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had congratulatedperfect
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was congratulatingprogressive
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were congratulatingprogressive
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had been congratulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of congratulate
1540–50; < Latin congrātulātus, past participle of congrātulārī. See congratulant, -ate 1
Explanation
When you congratulate someone, you give that person praise — or maybe even a party to congratulate him or her on a job well done. The word congratulate is linked to the Latin word congratulari, meaning “wish joy.” When you congratulate someone, you wish him or her joy, usually to celebrate an accomplishment or good fortune. Your joy can take the form of verbal praise (“Well done!”), a letter or card offering good wishes, a rowdy high five, or even a big chocolate cake. You can also congratulate yourself for reaching a long-time goal.
Vocabulary lists containing congratulate
"Raymond's Run"
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"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
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Week 1: Cultural Exchange
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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:
The arrival in port came the day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the Lincoln to congratulate the crew on their mission.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
"I congratulate Dr. Schmidt and his team for their exceptional achievement and for engaging students as true partners in research that delivers global impact."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026
Then it held a vote to congratulate itself on noticing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
In 2013, Epstein received an automated note from LinkedIn that he should congratulate Clark for her new role as CEO of Female Algorithm Technologies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I want to be brave and strong, so that someday if I ever meet the leader of our country, he’ll congratulate me.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
That he, upon getting punched in the crotch by Johnny Cage, congratulates the latter on having stellar technique makes about as much sense as anything else on offer here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
"Spain congratulates the new president of Honduras and expresses its full willingness to continue working with the people and government of Honduras," the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Dec. 25, 2025
A nurse congratulates the family and hands over an administrative packet.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2025
"Everyone congratulates us. Everyone, even from abroad. I receive emails and WhatsApp messages from everywhere congratulating us for wanting to return to our roots."
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2025
Snow congratulates the Peacekeepers on a masterful job, honors them for ridding the country of the menace called the Mockingjay.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
"I congratulated him on his victory. We discussed the ways that we would work together," Carney told reporters in Ottawa.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Carney congratulated the winning candidates in a post on X, saying that voters had "placed their trust" in the government "at this consequential time for Canada."
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
However, Streeting said he had also been congratulated by people in the Ministry of Defence for being a symbol of progress.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
On Saturday I addressed the crew, congratulated them on a magnificent job, and sent them home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
No wonder his voice had sounded so mixed when he congratulated me.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Jolin said she texted Moore three times in 2025 between September and December, two congratulating him on wins and one unrelated to games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The cost of phone fatigue was not worth the short-term dopamine hit of my bird congratulating me on taking three deep breaths today.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
"He messaged me the day before the Test, touching on The Hundred and congratulating me on that, and saying good luck for the first Test," said Tongue.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
That it was live television and just this pageantry of people congratulating themselves, congratulating each other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Get dressed,” he ordered her, congratulating himself on his alertness.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
