- [countable] a comment that expresses praise or approval of somebody
- to pay somebody a compliment (= to praise them for something)
- ‘You understand the problem because you're so much older.’ ‘I'll take that as a compliment!’
- It's a great compliment to be asked to do the job.
- to return the compliment (= to treat somebody in the same way as they have treated you)
Extra Examples- He returned her compliment by saying how well she looked.
- If Mark's wearing a suit, that'll be a compliment to you!
- Please don't misunderstand me—I meant it as a compliment.
- He acknowledged their compliments with a big smile.
- She received several compliments on her speech.
- To listen to someone is the greatest compliment you can pay.
- She always paid me compliments on my hair and my clothes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- great
- tremendous
- …
- give
- pay somebody
- mean something as
- …
- compliment on
- compliment to
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- compliments[plural] (formal) polite words or good wishes, especially when used to express praise and approval
- My compliments to the chef!
- (British English) Compliments of the season! (= for Christmas or the New Year)
- Please accept these flowers with the compliments of (= as a gift from) the manager.
- Please give my compliments to your parents.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + compliments- give somebody
- present (somebody with)
- send somebody
- …
- slip
- with somebody’s compliment
- compliment to
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French compliment (noun), complimenter (verb), from Italian complimento ‘fulfilment of the requirements of courtesy’, from Latin complementum ‘completion, fulfilment’ (reflected in the earlier English spelling complement, gradually replaced by the French form between 1655 and 1715).
Idioms
See compliment in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarya backhanded compliment
(North American English also left-handed compliment)
- a comment that seems to express approval but could also be understood as expressing a poor opinion of somebody/something
- In a backhanded compliment she said he looked very good for his age.
Check pronunciation:
compliment