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
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
When Fey, 56, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, June 1, Fallon, 51, started by congratulating her on her upcoming wedding anniversary on Wednesday, June 3.
—Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 2 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.
—ABC News, 27 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
Blue Collar fans flooded the comments on the Instagram post, congratulating Serfer for building an institution that will forever be part of Miami’s culinary history.
—Amy Reyes, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026
Sometimes, the crowd at a nearby ballpark will issue a rousing cheer – as if congratulating you on a hike well done.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 3 June 2026
When Fey, 56, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, June 1, Fallon, 51, started by congratulating her on her upcoming wedding anniversary on Wednesday, June 3.
—Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 2 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.
—ABC News, 27 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
Blue Collar fans flooded the comments on the Instagram post, congratulating Serfer for building an institution that will forever be part of Miami’s culinary history.
—Amy Reyes, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026
Sometimes, the crowd at a nearby ballpark will issue a rousing cheer – as if congratulating you on a hike well done.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for congratulating
Verb
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Yet there Knicks fans were, in droves, cheering their team on in their first NBA Finals appearance in a quarter-century.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
Hobson played football at Alabama-Birmingham and grew up cheering for the Crimson Tide in his home state.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
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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On a 75-mile cliff-hugging stretch of highway in California, traffic is way up, despite soaring gas prices.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Now the latest batch of eaux de parfum is noticeably lighter, hugging the skin rather than announcing its presence.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Facebook ads vilifying or praising various measures.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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In a post on X on May 29, Shriver marked what would have been Kennedy's 109th birthday by praising the court's ruling against efforts to rename the cultural institution.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The actor concluded by once again complimenting his character.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
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The 540 Atlantic Avenue space opens to the public on May 16, complimenting the group’s two other locations in Williamsburg and Flatiron.—
Alison Fox,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2026
Verb
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For seven minutes after the final whistle, players and staff stood on the edge of the penalty area applauding the Liverpool supporters amassed in the Bill Shankly Kop as the Jota song remained on loop.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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That is worth acknowledging and applauding.—
Jonathan Greenblatt,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Congratulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/congratulating. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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