Word
congrats
Phoneticscon·grats
US/kənˈɡɹæts/
UK/kənɡɹˈæts/
Definition
interj. a short way to say 'congratulations' to someone.
interj. an informal exclamation used to express praise for an achievement or good fortune.
Examples
“Congrats on your new job!”
“I sent a quick text saying congrats when I heard she passed her driving test.”
“While a formal letter requires the full term, a simple congrats on a social media post is perfectly appropriate for a friend's engagement.”
Examples
simple
“Congrats on your new job!”
contextual
“I sent a quick text saying congrats when I heard she passed her driving test.”
complex
“While a formal letter requires the full term, a simple congrats on a social media post is perfectly appropriate for a friend's engagement.”
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'on' plus a noun or gerund.
Teaching tip
While common in speech and social media, students should use the full word 'congratulations' in professional emails or formal letters.
Etymology
From congrat + -s.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/congrats