give credit

Idioms  

1. Also, extend credit . Trust someone to pay at some future time what he or she owes. For example, I haven't enough cash this month, so I hope they'll give me credit . This use of credit dates from the mid-1500s.

2. Acknowledge an accomplishment, as in They really should give her credit for the work she's done . [Late 1700s] The phrase is sometimes amplified to give credit where credit is due , meaning the acknowledgment should be to the person who deserves it. This expression was probably coined by Samuel Adams in a letter (October 29, 1777), which put it: “Give credit to whom credit due.” It is sometimes put give someone their due , as in We should really give Nancy her due for trying to sort out this mess .

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Example Sentences

Mr. Boise’s op-ed speaks truth, but he fails to give credit where credit is due.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Dahlia Lithwick: I guess I have to give credit where it’s due.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

And in her own fashion choices, Sheinbaum has similarly chosen to give credit where she says it's due, and to uplift those she can along the way.

From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026

"It was a tough loss, but you give credit when credit due, they deserved it," Iwobi says.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

“We are nice people here. We will let you buy on credit. A man bringing your rice just now. You tell the man your name, and he will give credit to you.”

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple