Definition of congratulate
congratulated
;congratulating
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Examples of congratulate in a Sentence
I'd like to congratulate you on your success.
She congratulated us on our test results.
She congratulated herself for getting the best grade in her class.
Recent Examples of congratulate from the Web
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The 2016 GAO report congratulated NASA for slowing budget creep in recent years, but attributed it only in part to new project management tools, with the rest of the credit going to rising baseline estimates that hide percentage-wise growth.
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The Underwoods’ apparent victory by accumulating their opponents’ damning hot-mic moments seems so certain that Doug prematurely congratulates Frank on winning the presidency (fact check: as if).
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Tom and Chris Sasala congratulate their daughter, Michelle, on her graduation from Oak Lawn Community High School.
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Latour congratulated the students on their outstanding accomplishments, especially for earning $8.5 million in scholarships collectively as a class, as well as shared his own humorous memories with the graduating class.
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Even Franchitti made his way to victory lane to congratulate Sato, who was eager to see the impact of his win at home in Japan.
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After the match, many current and former players congratulated Kvitova on her emotional win and her return to tennis.
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West Charlotte’s Kennedy Meeks, center, is congratulated by teammates after he was named MVP in the N.C. 4A Championship game in March 2011.
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Hagestad also congratulated Garcia, a former Masters low amateur.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'congratulate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of congratulate
Latin congratulatus, past participle of congratulari to wish joy, from com- + gratulari to wish joy, from gratus pleasing — more at grace
CONGRATULATE Defined for English Language Learners
congratulate
playDefinition of congratulate for English Language Learners
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: to tell (someone) that you are happy because of his or her success or good luck
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: to feel pleased with (yourself)
CONGRATULATE Defined for Kids
congratulate
playDefinition of congratulate for Students
congratulated
;congratulating
: to express pleasure on account of success or good fortune I congratulated the winner.
Word Root of congratulate
The Latin word gratus, meaning “pleasing” or “thankful,” gives us the root grat. Words from the Latin gratus have something to do with being pleasing or being thankful. To ingratiate yourself is to make others feel thankful for something you've done. To feel grateful is to feel thankful for something. Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness. To congratulate is to express how pleasing someone's success is.
Learn More about congratulate
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See words that rhyme with congratulate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for congratulate Spanish Central: Translation of congratulate Nglish: Translation of congratulate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of congratulate for Arabic speakers
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