respect
Americannoun
-
respects
plural
-
a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded byin ).
to differ in some respect.
-
relation or reference.
inquiries with respect to a route.
- Synonyms:
- connection, regard
-
esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.
I have great respect for her judgment.
- Synonyms:
- honor, homage, reverence, estimation
-
deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment.
respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.
-
the condition of being esteemed or honored.
to be held in respect.
-
respects, a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or friendship.
Give my respects to your parents.
-
favor or partiality.
- Synonyms:
- preference, bias
-
Archaic. a consideration.
verb (used with object)
-
respects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
respected,
past participle, past
-
respecting
present participle
idioms
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pay one's respects,
-
to visit in order to welcome, greet, etc..
We paid our respects to the new neighbors.
-
to express one's sympathy, especially to survivors following a death.
We paid our respects to the family.
-
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in respect that, because of; since.
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in respect of, in reference to; in regard to; concerning.
-
with respect to, referring to; concerning.
with respect to your latest request.
noun
-
an attitude of deference, admiration, or esteem; regard
-
the state of being honoured or esteemed
-
a detail, point, or characteristic; particular
he differs in some respects from his son
-
reference or relation (esp in the phrases in respect of , with respect to )
-
polite or kind regard; consideration
respect for people's feelings
-
(often plural) an expression of esteem or regard (esp in the phrase pay one's respects )
verb
-
to have an attitude of esteem towards; show or have respect for
to respect one's elders
-
to pay proper attention to; not violate
to respect Swiss neutrality
-
to show consideration for; treat courteously or kindly
-
archaic to concern or refer to
Synonym Usage
Respect, esteem, veneration imply recognition of personal qualities by approbation, deference, and more or less affection. Respect is commonly the result of admiration and approbation, together with deference: to feel respect for a great scholar. Esteem is deference combined with admiration and often with affection: to hold a friend in great esteem. Veneration is an almost religious attitude of deep respect, reverence, and love, such as we feel for persons or things of outstanding superiority, endeared by long association: veneration for one's grandparents, for noble traditions.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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respectsimple
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respectssimple
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have respectedperfect
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has respectedperfect
-
am respectingprogressive
-
are respectingprogressive
-
is respectingprogressive
-
have been respectingperfect progressive
-
has been respectingperfect progressive
Past
-
respectedsimple
-
had respectedperfect
-
was respectingprogressive
-
were respectingprogressive
-
had been respectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of respect
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun from Old French or directly from Latin respectus “action of looking back, consideration, regard,” equivalent to respec-, variant stem of respicere “to look back” ( re- “back” + specere “to look”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; verb from Latin respectus, past participle of respicere; see re-
Explanation
Respect is a way of treating or thinking about something or someone. If you respect your teacher, you admire her and treat her well. People respect others who are impressive for any reason, such as being in authority — like a teacher or cop — or being older — like a grandparent. You show respect by being polite and kind. For a lot of people, taking your hat off is a show of respect. When people are insulted or treated badly, they feel they haven't been treated with respect. You can respect things as well as people. Saying the Pledge of Allegiance shows respect to your country.
Vocabulary lists containing respect
Memorial Day Words
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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myPerspectives 6.1
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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:
"Not everything can go your way and whilst I wanted to believe it was mine I respect the decision made."
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
“I deeply respect the views of those who will strongly disagree with my decision, including some families of victims who have suffered the worst possible loss,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
"I don't know Spanish really well. I know it enough to speak to my mom consistently. So in that respect, I am a 'no sabo'."
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
“And please respect my family’s privacy as they navigate this with me, too,” she added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
In this respect, the United States was way behind the Soviet Union.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
To Chiuri, it’s also about paying her respects to the house and family that began her career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Among those paying their respects were Lisa and Lee, visiting Tenerife from Stoke-on-Trent.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Family, friends and those wishing to pay their respects followed the funeral cortege the short distance along the Ballyphilip Road from Mageean's family home to the church.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Mi-ok and Cheol pay their respects, and while eating with others afterward notice a woman in the room with a camera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
I stepped out of my closet to go pay my respects to the dead.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Henderson is a popular figure, respected by staff and players and is again performing at the top level.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The rare halt in fighting, which was respected by both sides, allowed roads to be demined and residents to depart for either Ukraine or Russia.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Social media users seemed split after his bombshell confession to being a traitor, with some totally exasperated and others saying they respected him for going out on his own terms.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
But despite Cárdenas’ political failures, he remained a respected elder statesman and a central figure on the Mexican left until his death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Cherrie not only respected Roosevelt as the former president of the United States, but he genuinely cared about him, like a brother.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
"That's why it's a very frustrating situation. We were speaking a lot about respecting the identity and it doesn't matter the team that we were facing," the Spaniard said.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
She wrote: “Michigan voters made their choice, and respecting that choice doesn’t mean I suddenly agree with him on everything.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Pledging love and respecting someone or a relationship can make people feel so uncomfortable that leaning into these tropes of life can feel humorous, and that’s where the laughs from a Hallmark film come from.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
But I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a difference between respecting someone’s independence and refusing to let the people who love you help.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I wish to say something respecting this escape. It may prevent some persons laying under suspicion alonger me.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
