respect
noun
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Definition of respect
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation remarks having respect to an earlier plan
2 : an act of giving particular attention : consideration
3a : high or special regard : esteem
b : the quality or state of being esteemed
c respects plural : expressions of high or special regard or deference paid our respects
4 : particular, detail a good plan in some respects
chiefly British : with respect to : concerning
: with respect to : concerning
: with reference to : in relation to
respect
verb
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Definition of respect (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for respect
Synonyms: Noun
account, admiration, appreciation, esteem, estimation, favor, regard
Synonyms: Verb
admire, appreciate, consider, esteem, regard
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of respect in a Sentence
Noun
The earth's crust floats over a core of molten rock and some of its parts have a tendency to move with respect to one another. — Mario Salvadori, Why Buildings Stand Up, 1990 Anyway any honor sent through the mail and cashable is about the only kind I got any great respect for … — Flannery O'Connor, The Habit of Being, 1979 Our ragged hero wasn't a model boy in all respects. I am afraid he swore sometimes, and now and then he played tricks upon unsophisticated boys from the country, or gave a wrong direction to honest old gentlemen unused to the city. — Horatio Alger, Ragged Dick, 1868 The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had VERY long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect. — Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1865 He has earned their respect. The soldier saluted as a sign of respect. Despite our differences, I have enormous respect for him. I have a great respect for his accomplishments. I expect to be treated with respect. Your theory makes sense in one respect.Verb
Many other critics respect her work, but marginalize her as "the best Polish woman artist" or "the best woman artist of Eastern Europe." — Andrew Solomon, New York Times Book Review, 21 Aug. 1994 He had a weak point—this Fortunato—although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. — Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado, 1846 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof … — The Constitiution of the United States of America The students respect the principal for his honesty. I respect what she has accomplished. You must learn to respect other people's property. We need to respect the environment.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In many respects, America is the world in one country, only a better world than the one outside. — Tony Abbott, WSJ, "An Ally Sizes Up Donald Trump," 13 July 2018 But unlike most films of that genre, Mary Page Marlowe is concerned with finding the pathos, the melancholy beauty in a life that in most respects is unremarkable. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Mary Page Marlowe': Theater Review," 13 July 2018 This view, in many respects, underpinned both its annexation of Crimea and its incursion into eastern Ukraine, contributing toward a conflict that has claimed 10,000 lives. — Anna Arutunyan, Time, "No Matter What Happens in Helsinki, Putin Has Already Won," 10 July 2018 In many respects, the president is his own chief of staff. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Maybe Republicans Just Don’t Do Policy," 3 July 2018 Melancholy is almost obligatory for young male poets; in other respects, Neruda spurned the genteel conventions still prevailing in love poetry of the time. — Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, "The partisan world of Pablo Neruda," 2 July 2018 In many respects, Galindo feels well-off financially. — Annie Sciacca, chicagotribune.com, "In the Bay Area, 'low income' is six figures," 27 June 2018 In other respects, however, Mr Modi’s government has worked hard to put public money to better use. — The Economist, "Indian states are testing a new way of setting development priorities," 14 June 2018 These include showing respect for national pride, explaining how President Trump’s anti-immigrant and tariff policies hurt the working class economically, and ensuring that hardworking Americans qualify for and can secure good jobs. — WSJ, "Elites Miss the Point on Immigration Politics," 13 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
No self-respecting AI could replicate its level of paranoid hubris. — Laurie Penny, Longreads, "Peterson’s Complaint," 12 July 2018 What self-respecting adult would even comment on a child’s appearance? — Karen Mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Daddy-Daughter Dance! Khloé Kardashian Shares the Sweet Moment Between Tristan Thompson and True," 11 July 2018 What self-respecting adult would even comment on a child’s appearance? — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "Don’t You Dare Insult Khloé Kardashian’s Baby," 9 July 2018 This includes respecting and affirming the language that bathes our existence, and explores the intersectionality with other identities. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "TEACHING FOR BLACK LIVES," 10 July 2018 Amar makes a plausible case that Kavanaugh is well educated, well read, and well respected in his field. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Brett Kavanaugh’s Qualifications Don’t Matter," 10 July 2018 This teenage detective became the archetype of a kind of tough American woman: smart and fierce in the face of violence, but also well-respected by police and her doting father. — Jennifer Fisher, Smithsonian, "The Adventurous Writer Who Brought Nancy Drew To Life," 2 July 2018 Rodriguez, whose face adorns the posters that Comcavis Trans created to advocate that the law legislating gender identity be changed, also hoped that the state would respect and protect her legal rights to live out her identity. — Alice Driver, Longreads, "The Road to Asylum," 30 June 2018 The bottom line for me as a viewer is that the script deftly presents her in a way that instantly makes me respect her and want to know more about her. — David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "'The Tunnel' returns to PBS and speaks truth to our border and immigration debate," 28 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'respect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
The Good, The Bad, & The...
The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018
The words that defined the week of August 17th, 2018
Respectively vs. Respectfully
Respectively vs. Respectfully
Respect the differences between this pair
Gallery: Word of the Year 2015
Gallery: Word of the Year 2015
The events that drove the top look-ups in 2015.
Statistics for respect
Last Updated
6 Nov 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for respect
The first known use of respect was in the 14th century
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More Definitions for respect
respect
noun
English Language Learners Definition of respect
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.
: a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way
: a particular way of thinking about or looking at something
respect
verb
English Language Learners Definition of respect (Entry 2 of 2)
: to feel admiration for (someone or something) : to regard (someone or something) as being worthy of admiration because of good qualities
: to act in a way which shows that you are aware of (someone's rights, wishes, etc.)
: to treat or deal with (something that is good or valuable) in a proper way
See the full definition for respect in the English Language Learners Dictionary
respect
noun
\
Kids Definition of respect
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : high or special regard : esteem
2 : thoughtfulness or consideration “Of course, we would wait the appropriate amount of time out of respect for my brother.”— Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising
3 respects plural : an expression of regard or courtesy pay my respects
4 : detail entry 1 sense 2 Our trip was perfect in all respects.
5 : relation to or concern with something specified I'm writing with respect to your ad.
respect
verbKids Definition of respect (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to consider worthy of high regard : esteem
2 : to pay attention to We respected their wishes.
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