Definition of CONGRATULATE

congratulated; congratulating
transitive verb

1archaic : to express sympathetic pleasure at (an event)

2: to express vicarious pleasure to (a person) on the occasion of success or good

fortune
 graciously congratulated the winner
; also : to feel pleased with
 congratulating herself for a job well done

3obsolete : SALUTE , GREET

—
congratulator
play \kən-ˈgra-chə-ˌlā-tər, -ˈgra-jə-\ noun
—
congratulatory
play \kən-ˈgra-chə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē, -ˈgra-jə-\ adjective
See congratulate defined for English-language learners
See congratulate defined for kids

Examples of CONGRATULATE in a Sentence

1. I'd like to congratulate you on your success.
2. She congratulated us on our test results.
3. She congratulated herself for getting the best grade in her class.
completing

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Related to completing: Completing the square

com·plete

(kəm-plēt′)

adj. com·plet·er, com·plet·est

1. Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire: a complete medical history
; a complete set ofdishes.

2. Botany Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Use
d of a flower.

3. Having come to an end; concluded: The renovation of the kitchen is complete.

4.

a. Absolute; thorough: complete control; a complete mystery.

b. Accomplished; consummate: a complete musician.

5. Football Caught in bounds by a receiver: a complete pass.

tr.v. com·plet·ed, com·plet·ing, com·pletes

1. To bring to a finish or an end: She has completed her studies.

2. To make whole, with all necessary elements or parts: A second child would complete their fam
ily. Fill in the blanks tocomplete the form.

3. Football To throw (a forward pass) that is caught in bounds by a receiver.

[Middle English complet, from Latin complētus, past participle of complēre, to fill out : com-
, intensive pref.; see com- + plēre, to fill; see pelə- in Indo-European roots.]

com·plete′ly adv.

com·plete′ness n.

com·ple′tive adj.

Synonyms: complete, finish, close, end, conclude, terminate

These verbs mean to bring to a natural or proper stopping point. Complete and finish suggest the
final stage in anundertaking: "Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime" (Reinhold Niebu
hr)."Give us the tools, and we will finishthe job" (Winston S. Churchill).
Close and end both imply bringing something ongoing to a conclusion: The band closed the conc
ert with an encore.We ended the meal with fruit and cheese. End can also mean putting a stop to
something, often with finality: "Manyadvocates say [putting] laptops in schools is a promising w
ay to end the digital divide between the races" (CharSimons)."It left him more exposed than ever,
forcing him to end the career he loved" (Molly Worthen).
Conclude is more formal than close and end: The author concluded the article by restating the m
ajor points. Terminatesuggests reaching an established limit: The playing of the national anthem
terminated the station's broadcast for thenight. It also indicates the dissolution of a formal arrang
ement: The firm terminated my contract yesterday.

Usage Note: Although complete is often held to be an absolute term like perfect or chief, and sup
posedly not subjectto comparison, it is often modified by words like more and less in standard us
age. As far back as 1965, a majority ofthe Usage Panel accepted the example His book is the mos
t complete treatment of the subject. See Usage Note atabsolute.