I. com ‧ ple ‧ ment 1 AC /ˈkɒmpləmənt, ˈkɒmplɪmənt $ ˈkɑːm-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: complementum , from complere ; ⇨ ↑ complete 1 ]
1 . someone or something that emphasizes the good qualities of another person or thing
complement to
This wine would be a nice complement to grilled dishes.
2 . the number or quantity needed to make a group complete
complement of
Each new cell will carry its full complement of chromosomes.
3 . technical a word or phrase that follows a verb and describes the subject of the verb. In ‘John is cold’ and ‘John became chairman’, ‘cold’ and ‘chairman’ are complements.
II. com ‧ ple ‧ ment 2 AC /ˈkɒmpləment, ˈkɒmplɪment $ ˈkɑːm-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to make a good combination with someone or something else:
John and Bob complemented each other well.
The dark red walls complement the red leather chairs.
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In everyday English, people usually say that something goes well with another thing, or they go well together , rather than say they complement each other:
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White wine goes well with fish.
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THESAURUS
▪ match if something matches something else, they look good together because they are very similar in colour or style:
a black suit with a handbag and shoes to match
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The earrings matched her eyes.
▪ go with something to look good with something else - Go with is very common in everyday English:
Do you think that blue wallpaper will go with the carpet?
▪ go together if two things go together, they look good when they are worn or seen with each other. Go together is very common in everyday English:
That jacket and skirt don’t really go together.
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The blue and the yellow go together well.
▪ complement formal if a piece of clothing or a colour complements something, it makes it look more attractive:
A simple string of pearls will complement any outfit.
▪ well coordinated/perfectly coordinated if clothes, decorations etc are well or perfectly coordinated, they look good together because they have similar colours and styles:
Her outfits are always perfectly coordinated.