respect

noun

re·spect | \ ri-ˈspekt

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

in respect of

chiefly British : with respect to : concerning

in respect to

: with respect to : concerning

with respect to

: with reference to : in relation to

respect

verb

re·spect | \ ri-ˈspekt

respected; respecting; respects

Definition of respect (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to consider worthy of high regard : esteem

b : to refrain from interfering with please respect their privacy

2 : to have reference to : concern

Other Words from respect Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about respect

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for respect

Synonyms: Noun

reference, regard

Synonyms: Verb

admire, appreciate, consider, esteem, regard

Choose the Right Synonym for respect

Verb

regard, respect, esteem, admire mean to recognize the worth of a person or thing. regard is a general term that is usually qualified. he is highly regarded in the profession respect implies a considered evaluation or estimation. after many years they came to respect her views esteem implies greater warmth of feeling accompanying a high valuation. no citizen of the town was more highly esteemed admire suggests usually enthusiastic appreciation and often deep affection. a friend that I truly admire

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

There’s a certain love between Niru and his father, a love and respect for a home and family that’s uniquely different from the families Niru is growing up around. — Vox Staff, Vox, "The most thought-provoking books the Vox staff read in 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 The Daily Mail pointed out that this is likely a sign of respect for the Queen. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton Shared a Blanket During Their First-Ever Joint Engagement," 19 Mar. 2019 Once Her Majesty entered the building, Kate, Meghan, and Duchess Camilla were seen curtsying to the sovereign as a sign of respect. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Curtsy to the Queen in Westminster Abbey," 11 Mar. 2019 The house then held a minute of silence for the room to pay respects to Lagerfeld. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Chanel Pays Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld on a Snow-Covered Runway," 5 Mar. 2019 There’s also no cliff effect with respect to SNAP, because as your income increases, your benefits gradually go down. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "A new Trump rule could take food stamps away from 755,000 people," 20 Dec. 2018 To understand and appreciate my value in my family, and not fall into that easy trap of doubting myself and trying to jostle with my mother-in-law for respect and the role of matriarch. — Miriam Foley, Good Housekeeping, "I Didn't Appreciate My Mother-in-Law Until I Had a Daughter," 17 Jan. 2019 Now the Ravens quarterbacks coach, Urban must gain the respect of his new team before his first game on M&T Bank Stadium’s home sideline, a key for taking on balancing rookie Lamar Jackson and veteran Joe Flacco. — Katherine Fominykh, baltimoresun.com, "After mentoring Michael Vick, new Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban getting Lamar Jackson up to speed," 13 July 2018 Many visitors plan their years around their travels to parks, after all, and there was a hope that anyone going to a national park would treat it with respect. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "For National Parks, The End of the Shutdown Means the Hard Part Begins," 28 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Timmermans also said media freedom needs to be better respected. — Alison Mutler, The Seattle Times, "Premier: Romania ready for EU presidency amid EU criticism," 13 Nov. 2018 Please continue to respect my privacy, and my desire to remain anonymous. — Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic, "Unidentified Plane Bae Woman's Statement Confirms the Worst," 13 July 2018 America’s being respected again all over the world. — Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, "Anatomy of a Trump rally: 76 percent of claims are false, misleading or lacking evidence," 10 July 2018 Locally, O'Connor was widely respected for his managerial abilities but also known for his antagonistic behavior toward FC Cincinnati coaches. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "See you in MLS: Louisville City FC coach James O'Connor bound for Orlando City SC," 29 June 2018 Please respect My father Sean, Ethan, my family, and me send your love through social media only! — Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "The Dolan Twins Ask Fans Not to Attend Their Dad's Funeral," 24 Jan. 2019 Both stories seemed harmless at the time but were later criticized for not respecting the subjects’ assumption of privacy. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Plane Bae: how an in-flight matchmaker broke the internet," 6 July 2018 Ultimately, the choice is yours and other people should respect that, Dr. Minkin says. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Jana Kramer on the Criticism She Received After Deciding Not to Breastfeed: 'It’s Just Frustrating'," 17 Jan. 2019 Their intent was to get rid of the penalty but leave the rest of the law standing, and that the Courts ought to respect that. — Sarah Kliff, Vox, "Federal court rules Obamacare unconstitutional — but the law stands for now," 15 Dec. 2018

These 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.

Keep scrolling for more

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

re·spect | \ ri-ˈspekt

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.