give credit
Idioms-
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.
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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 .
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.
To give credit where it’s due, few films wear their bathos with such pride.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026
"But we have to give credit to the players. They made a commitment, they wanted to be the best in the world, and we got the outcome we wanted."
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 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
“So a lot of the success I’ve had I give credit to him.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
Farmer was quick to give credit to Père Lafontant both for his vision for improving life in Cange and for his ability to raise funds with the help of the South Carolina church.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
