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gratulate

American  
[grach-uh-layt] / ˈgrætʃ əˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

gratulated, gratulating
  1. to hail with joy; express joy at.

  2. to congratulate.


verb (used without object)

gratulated, gratulating
  1. to express joy.

gratulate British  
/ ˈɡrætjʊˌleɪt /

verb

  1. to greet joyously

  2. to congratulate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of gratulate

1550–60; < Latin grātulātus (past participle of grātulārī to express joy), equivalent to grātul- express joy, congratulate, thank (derivative of grātus pleasing) + -ātus -ate 1


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 five best Senses Acknowledge thee their patron; and come freely To gratulate thy plenteous bosom.

From Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare

To gratify the good Andronicus, And gratulate his safe return to Rome, The people will accept whom he admits.

From The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

Spirits, if present, grace the scene, And if with me united, Then gratulate the king and queen, Their troth thus newly plighted!

From Faust — Part 1 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A little burning air, which I shall soon prepare us, Above the earth will nimbly bear us, And, if we're light, we'll travel swift and clear: I gratulate thee on thy new career!

From Faust by Bayard Taylor

No farther then the Tower, and as I guesse, Vpon the like deuotion as your selues, To gratulate the gentle Princes there    Qu.

From Richard III by William Shakespeare

Some recognised the man, whose appearance and features were not easily forgot, and gratulated him upon his most unexpected return to the service of his country.

From Waverley Novels — Volume 12 by Sir Walter Scott

Ida found her companionship pleasant, and Mr. Woodstock con gratulated himself on having taken the right step.

From The Unclassed by George Gissing

The edict of the Emperor upon the occasion, therefore, passed into a law, acknowledged by the assent of the chiefs present, and especially affirmed and gratulated by the shouts of the assembled spectators.

From Waverley Novels — Volume 12 by Sir Walter Scott

"Watch the way they shake hands, watch the way they are con gratulating each other," said Prosecutor Chertoff.

From Time Magazine Archive

He ended, and Achilles, godlike Chief, Smiled on him, gratulating his success,690 Whom much he loved; then, ardent, thus replied.

From The Iliad of Homer Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper by William Cowper

As if exhausted in the fight, Or musing o'er the piteous sight, The silent victor stands: His beaver did he not unclasp, Marked not the shouts, felt not the grasp Of gratulating hands.

From Notes and Queries, Number 80, May 10, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various

Whereat the idle multitude lift up their voices, gratulating, celebrating sky-high; in rhyme and prose announcement, more than plentiful, that now the New Era, and long-expected Year One of Perfect Human Felicity has come.

From Latter-Day Pamphlets by Thomas Carlyle

Fiercely ere long Their gratulating shout aloft had leaped But Hilda laid her finger on her lip, Or provident lest praise might stain the pure, Or deeming song a gift too high for praise.

From Legends of the Saxon Saints by Aubrey De Vere

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