noun
1 expression of praise
ADJECTIVE
▪ big , great , tremendous , ultimate
▪
To listen to someone is the greatest ~ you can pay.
▪ biggest , highest
▪ nice , wonderful
▪ unexpected
▪ backhanded , left-handed ( AmE )
▪
In a backhanded ~ she said he looked very good for his age.
VERB + COMPLIMENT
▪ give , pay sb
▪ mean sth as
▪
Please don't misunderstand me—I meant it as a ~.
▪ get , receive
▪ accept , acknowledge , take
▪
She acknowledged their ~s with a big smile.
▪ appreciate
▪ regard sth as , take sth as
▪
I'll take that as a ~.
▪ fish for
▪
She's always fishing for ~s about her looks.
▪ repay , return
▪
He returned her ~ by saying how well she looked.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ on
▪
She received several ~s on her speech.
▪ ~ to
▪
If Mark's wearing a suit, that'll be a ~ to you!
2 ( formal ) your compliments good wishes
VERB + COMPLIMENTS
▪ give sb , present (sb with) , send sb
▪
Please give my ~s to your wife.
COMPLIMENTS + NOUN
▪ slip ( BrE )
▪
The only enclosure was a formal ~s slip from the accounts department.
PREPOSITION
▪ with sb's ~ (= free)
▪
All guests will receive a bottle of champagne with our ~s.
▪ ~ to
▪
my ~s to the chef
(= to show that you like a particular dish)