congratulate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to express pleasure to (a person), as on a happy occasion.
They congratulated him on his marriage.
-
Archaic. to express sympathetic joy or satisfaction at (an event).
-
Obsolete. to salute.
verb
-
(usually foll by on) to communicate pleasure, approval, or praise to (a person or persons); compliment
-
(often foll by on) to consider (oneself) clever or fortunate (as a result of)
she congratulated herself on her tact
-
obsolete to greet
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
congratulationnoun
-
congratulatornoun
-
precongratulateverb (used with object)
-
congratulatoryadjective
-
uncongratulatedadjective
-
uncongratulatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
congratulatesimple
-
congratulatessimple
-
have congratulatedperfect
-
has congratulatedperfect
-
am congratulatingprogressive
-
are congratulatingprogressive
-
is congratulatingprogressive
-
have been congratulatingperfect progressive
-
has been congratulatingperfect progressive
Past
-
congratulatedsimple
-
had congratulatedperfect
-
was congratulatingprogressive
-
were congratulatingprogressive
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Week 1: Cultural Exchange
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Fellow Love Island stars were among those to congratulate the couple, including former winner Casey O'Gorman who described it as the "best day".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We must congratulate the team, who gave it their all, but unfortunately we weren't able to hold on to our two-goal lead. We have to accept this. That's football."
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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
Sometimes it was just a look she shot me across the room, or there were times when she’d give me a high-five to congratulate me on a bout well fought.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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
He enters the church and congratulates Dave, who replies: “Cheers John, nice to see you.”
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2024
“This is good news,” Emma whispers to me while the rest of my family congratulates Andre on being a somewhat likable person.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Mitsotakis, however, congratulated Nolan on the film's "great box office success" and expressed appreciation that a significant part of the production was filmed in Greece.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Speaking afterwards, ap Iorwerth said he was pleased to meet the new prime minister and congratulated him on his new role.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister congratulated Swinney and the city of Glasgow on hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
EU chief Antonio Costa congratulated Burnham on taking up the job, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited him to visit Berlin to mark "the deep bond between us".
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
As the end neared, I congratulated myself silently—and, as it turned out, prematurely.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
"The tide is turning," Sanders posted on X, congratulating Kiros for her "extraordinary victory" over a 30-year incumbent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar wished ap Iorwerth well, congratulating Plaid Cymru for its "formidable election result", which he said was a "huge achievement".
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
The letter was in response to a message sent by Xi last month congratulating Kim for being named again as the leader of his party.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 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
He was looking around at everybody congratulating me and I knew he was digging it.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
