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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of congratulating
Before executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham could end his draft-night phone call congratulating Swain, the rookie couldn’t keep himself from taking a dig at his new boss’s alma mater.
—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
Seated next to Harvey, Laila Edwards grew emotional while congratulating her longtime friend and teammate upon being selected.
—
ABC News,
17 June 2026
The video has racked up over 115,000 likes and thousands of comments, with many congratulating the mom-to-be.
—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
I'mPhaedra Trethan, digging out my old Rod Brind'Amour Flyers jersey and congratulating the coach on his team's Stanley Cup Finals win.
—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Just 14 pitches later, Stephenson was shaking Santillan’s hand, congratulating him on his third save of the season and first since May 19.
—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
14 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
The Israeli combat soldier saw his teammates yelling in celebration, congratulating one another.
—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
Seated next to Harvey, Laila Edwards grew emotional while congratulating her longtime friend and teammate upon being selected.
—
ABC News,
17 June 2026
The video has racked up over 115,000 likes and thousands of comments, with many congratulating the mom-to-be.
—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
I'mPhaedra Trethan, digging out my old Rod Brind'Amour Flyers jersey and congratulating the coach on his team's Stanley Cup Finals win.
—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Just 14 pitches later, Stephenson was shaking Santillan’s hand, congratulating him on his third save of the season and first since May 19.
—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
14 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
The Israeli combat soldier saw his teammates yelling in celebration, congratulating one another.
—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for congratulating
Verb
-
Hakan Akgun / Anadolu via Getty Images The Houston stadium exploded with thundering applause, fans in blue jerseys and cheeks painted with the Cape Verdean flag cheering with joy.
-
Katie is supportive of Harry's soccer career Katie has been by her husband's side throughout his professional soccer career and frequently posts about attending his matches and cheering him on.
Verb
-
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.
-
Kennedy then mentioned her daughter and became emotional while commending her work.
Verb
-
People remained on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them.
-
Up in the stands, the Weahs lost their minds, cheering and hugging everyone in sight, the famous George Weah included.
Verb
-
Longtime friends Robert De Niro and Streep shared a friendly smooch during the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala in 2018, following the actor's speech praising the star.
-
Bruckheimer kicked off the conversation by praising Cue and the Apple team.
Verb
-
Aabria, by contrast, leans on personality and connection, clasping hands with the jurors and complimenting them before calmly lying about the rules of the bra contest and her victory.
-
Maybe someone is complimenting (or flirting with you) publicly, but controlling you behind the scenes.
Verb
-
The Ross Township Police Department shared the video on Facebook on Monday, applauding Sergeant Chuberko and Officer Roy for rescuing the deer.
-
The bottom line is that none of this is worth applauding.
Cite this Entry
“Congratulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/congratulating. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
