# congratulate

/kənˈɡɹætʃəˌɫeɪt/ (US) · /kənɡɹˈætʃʊlˌeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/congratulate
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to praise someone

verb · CEFR B1

to tell someone you are happy for them because they have achieved something or something good happened.

For teachers: to express sympathetic pleasure or praise to someone on the occasion of their success or good fortune.

- I called my sister to congratulate her on passing her driving test.
- The CEO personally congratulated the design team on their innovative approach, which had secured the firm's largest contract to date.

Usage: Usually takes the preposition 'on' followed by a noun or a gerund.

### 2. to feel proud of yourself

verb · CEFR B2

to feel happy or lucky about a choice you made or a situation you are in.

For teachers: to consider oneself fortunate or to take pride in one's own judgment or luck; used reflexively with 'myself', 'yourself', etc.

- You should congratulate yourself for finishing such a difficult project on time.
- He congratulated himself on his foresight in booking the flights early, as prices tripled only a week later.

Usage: Always used with a reflexive pronoun like 'myself', 'himself', or 'themselves'.

## Examples

- I want to congratulate you on your promotion.
- The manager gathered the entire team to congratulate them on finishing the project ahead of schedule.
- While it is customary to congratulate the winning candidate immediately, the opposition leader waited until the final tally was officially certified before making the phone call.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.