as in cheering
to express to (someone) admiration for his or her success or good fortune
let me be the first to congratulate you on winning the award
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Recent Examples of congratulating
After taking his skis off, Klæbo sat hunched over, staring into the snow, before standing up and congratulating his teammates and the rest of the finishers.
—
Nathaniel Herz, NPR, 21 Feb. 2026
Malinin was magnanimous afterward, hugging and congratulating surprise gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
While Sweetpea and Ed Burgess were busy congratulating themselves for securing Tony Day’s damning eyewitness account of Tender’s fraudulence, Whitney threatened his man in Africa back into the fold.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Later, Swift commented on an Instagram post of the couple, congratulating them.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
The emails show, however, that Epstein wrote to Musk more than 50 times, in total—congratulating him on a successful rocket launch, recommending stimulants, or asking if his workload was getting better.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Kim rushed over to her successor, congratulating her in a tight embrace.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
During that time, policemen and policewomen, Black and white, approached Officer Daniel, hugging him, shaking his hand, patting him on the back, congratulating him — demonstrating an enormous outpouring of support and admiration.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2026
Daniel Girdler got plenty of text messages this week congratulating him on his recent engagement.
—Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Nathaniel Herz, NPR, 21 Feb. 2026
Malinin was magnanimous afterward, hugging and congratulating surprise gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
While Sweetpea and Ed Burgess were busy congratulating themselves for securing Tony Day’s damning eyewitness account of Tender’s fraudulence, Whitney threatened his man in Africa back into the fold.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Later, Swift commented on an Instagram post of the couple, congratulating them.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
The emails show, however, that Epstein wrote to Musk more than 50 times, in total—congratulating him on a successful rocket launch, recommending stimulants, or asking if his workload was getting better.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Kim rushed over to her successor, congratulating her in a tight embrace.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
During that time, policemen and policewomen, Black and white, approached Officer Daniel, hugging him, shaking his hand, patting him on the back, congratulating him — demonstrating an enormous outpouring of support and admiration.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2026
Daniel Girdler got plenty of text messages this week congratulating him on his recent engagement.
—Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for congratulating
Verb
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The crowd, still cheering, sounded slightly hollow.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Educators would have their licenses immediately revoked for cheering political violence under a bill spurred by public educators’ social media posts celebrating Kirk’s assassination in September.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump previously endorsed the Hungarian politician in 2020, commending Orbán’s restrictive immigration policies and dedication to job creation.—
Sarah Davis,
The Hill,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That was the closest the 2026 DGA speeches came to being political outside of union support, with directors Coogler and Safdie both commending the insurance the guild provides (particularly as each director has a child that is currently sick).—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tuttle attended the screening of A Letter To David – The Complete Version and, following the conservative backlash this week, Shoval posted a picture of the festival director hugging him before the 2025 premiere.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The loafer is made with an arch-hugging insole that supports your foot’s natural alignment to keep foot fatigue away.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year, the publication ran a piece praising Kirk’s style.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Come January 2026, Abrams wasn’t afraid to drop the L-word in a pair of Instagram stories praising the cast of Mescal’s film Hamnet.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In a video tribute before the game, which featured Ullmark’s comments expressing why athletes are reticent to speak on mental health, before complimenting Senators fans, those same fans delivered tributes and welcome-backs.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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The proud father replied by complimenting the group before sharing the good news.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Patel would go on to post pictures of him with the team members in the locker room after the game, applauding their win.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Among those in attendance was former NFL center Jason Kelce, who was shown on the scoreboard applauding the goal initially credited to Edwards.—
John Wawrow,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Congratulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/congratulating. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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