Meaning & use
tribute to someone
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
something said, written, or done to show respect and admiration for a person, especially someone who has died
Grammar: Countable: use 'a tribute to someone' or 'tributes to someone'; the preposition is always 'to'.
Patterns
- a tribute to someone
- pay tribute to someone
- tributes to someone
At the funeral, his daughter gave a moving tribute to her father.
The concert was a tribute to the singer, who had died earlier that year.
Friends and colleagues paid tribute to the teacher who had inspired so many students.
phrasefixed phrase
an action or achievement that shows how good or important someone or something is
Grammar: Often used with 'is a tribute to' to mean that someone deserves credit for something.
Patterns
- be a tribute to someone
- a tribute to someone's skill
- a tribute to someone's hard work
Her calm handling of the crisis was a tribute to her years of training.
The team's success is a tribute to the coach's patience and planning.
The beautiful garden is a tribute to his mother's love of flowers.
Common combinations
- pay tribute to someone
- World leaders paid tribute to the peace activist at the ceremony.
- a fitting tribute to someone
- The new library is a fitting tribute to the writer who loved books.
- a moving tribute to someone
- She wrote a moving tribute to her grandmother in the school magazine.
- a tribute to someone's memory
- They planted a tree as a tribute to his memory.
- a tribute concert for someone
- The tribute concert for the late musician raised money for charity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- homage
- More formal and often used in art or film; 'tribute' is more general and common in everyday speech.
- eulogy
- Specifically a speech or piece of writing that praises someone who has just died, while a tribute can be any act of respect.
- testimonial
- Often a formal statement about someone's character or abilities, usually for a job or award; 'tribute' is more about respect and memory.
Opposites
Word family
- tributary noun
- A river or stream that flows into a larger one; not related in meaning to 'tribute' in this sense.
Commonly confused: tribute to someone or attribute? tribute to someone or contribute?
tribute to someone vs attribute
As a verb, 'attribute' means to say that something is caused by something else; as a noun, it means a quality or feature. It sounds similar but has a completely different meaning.
tribute to someone vs contribute
A verb meaning to give money, help, or ideas to something. It shares the 'tribut' root but is not a noun and does not mean 'tribute'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tribute to someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'a tribute to someone', so 'to' is the correct preposition. 'For', 'of', and 'on' do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tribute to someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.