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
In his concession speech, Eliasch aimed an allegation at the Olympic body and urged FIS to protect its independence before congratulating Ospelt.
—
ABC News, 11 June 2026
Trump opened the event by welcoming the participants and their families to the White House and congratulating them on their success.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2026
Glashow passed the mic to Rosenthal, who began by congratulating director Quinn Whitney Wilson for the Netflix acquisition of the Tribeca Festival world premiere and her directorial doc debut, Jean-Michel Basquiat.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2026
In October 2023, Kyle and his wife Samantha shared a joint Instagram post congratulating their son after a race at Millbridge Speedway.
—Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
On Election Day on May 26, as results were coming in, Burrows posted to social media congratulating Paxton on his win — 30 minutes before the Associated Press called the race for Paxton.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 3 June 2026
The Israeli combat soldier saw his teammates yelling in celebration, congratulating one another.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Patrick Mahomes has a share in the Kansas City Royals and tweeted a video of Kelce’s first pitch in congratulating him.
—Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
After congratulating each other on the mound, Aztecs players linked arms on the field, turned to their fans in the stands and sang the school’s fight song.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
ABC News, 11 June 2026
Trump opened the event by welcoming the participants and their families to the White House and congratulating them on their success.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2026
Glashow passed the mic to Rosenthal, who began by congratulating director Quinn Whitney Wilson for the Netflix acquisition of the Tribeca Festival world premiere and her directorial doc debut, Jean-Michel Basquiat.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2026
In October 2023, Kyle and his wife Samantha shared a joint Instagram post congratulating their son after a race at Millbridge Speedway.
—Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
On Election Day on May 26, as results were coming in, Burrows posted to social media congratulating Paxton on his win — 30 minutes before the Associated Press called the race for Paxton.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 3 June 2026
The Israeli combat soldier saw his teammates yelling in celebration, congratulating one another.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Patrick Mahomes has a share in the Kansas City Royals and tweeted a video of Kelce’s first pitch in congratulating him.
—Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
After congratulating each other on the mound, Aztecs players linked arms on the field, turned to their fans in the stands and sang the school’s fight song.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for congratulating
Verb
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Aryna Sabalenka won a close match against England's Emma Raducanu to advance to the round of 16, defeating her 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, in front of what was a hostile crowd that was cheering for the local Raducanu.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
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Max also got the honor of pronouncing the pair husband and wife and introducing them to the cheering guests.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Western, for his part, had by this time recovered something of his usual bluster, and began again upon the subject of Blifil, commending his estate and his family with great earnestness, as though these considerations alone ought to have settled the matter long since.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
-
Kennedy then mentioned her daughter and became emotional while commending her work.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Rendered in a soft buttercream hue, the dress featured a high neckline and an elegant swing silhouette that skimmed the body rather than hugging it.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
-
Ground-hugging plants can be pruned around the outer edges.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The plan was met with mixed reaction, with some praising Starmer for taking action and others questioning the effectiveness of a blanket ban.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
-
White House communications director Steven Cheung dodged a question about Hokit’s comments at the fight, pivoting to praising the fighter.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Comer posted photos from the event on her Instagram, with fans complimenting her in the comments section.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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The first of those picks was used on Malachi Lawrence, a defensive end out of Central Florida, who has already turned heads at Cowboys OTAs, with Clark complimenting the rookie on his technique.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Many Disney Cruise Line passengers are applauding the new decision.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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Sunday night’s ceremony offered a different message — Broadway is willing to work with Rudin, but applauding him is still a bridge too far.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Congratulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/congratulating. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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