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:
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 congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for US Senate," Stevens said in a statement.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
I’d like to congratulate Mel Brooks on making it to the age of 100, but I’m not sure I want to duplicate his achievement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Argentine President Javier Milei was one of the first to congratulate De la Espriella, who calls himself "The Tiger."
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
“If that’s truly what you want, then I’m not upset. In fact, I’d congratulate you on asking for what you want.”
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
England head coach Thomas Tuchel congratulates Jordan Pickford after the win against Mexico.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
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
The Institution congratulates you on your perspicacious find.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Al-Marimi is alleged to have claimed he was later congratulated in person by the late Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, for carrying out "a great national duty" against the Americans.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Most European countries eventually congratulated Spain for handling the crisis quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Activist investor Elliott Management in a statement congratulated Kruger on his coming move and said it was confident Zebedee was the right successor, bringing with him continuity and momentum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Kaye congratulated the client and a wave of applause filled the courtroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
When it was over, Tucker and Harry applauded and congratulated Chester.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
Redick held back tears when general manager Rob Pelinka presented him with the game ball in the locker room on March 31 and showed a video of Redick’s sons, Knox and Kai, congratulating their dad.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
"Today Europe wins and European values win," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X, congratulating Hungarian citizens on "historic elections".
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
On Monday, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he'd had "warm telephone conversations" with Balen and Lamichhane, congratulating them on the party's "resounding success".
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
In a message congratulating Mojtaba on his appointment Sunday, Hassan Khomeini—the grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founding ayatollah—offered “condolences on the martyrdom of your beloved father, who was a model of jihad and martyrdom.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
There they sat, panting and congratulating one another, watching the gap in the track and waiting for Smith to lead Seabiscuit in and lay down his arms, like Lee at Appomattox.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
