Meaning & use

tribute

noun·Academic

Something said, done, or given to show respect, gratitude, or admiration for someone.

See it in a sentence

The concert was organized as a tribute to the late musician's legacy.

Colleagues paid tribute to their retiring manager with heartfelt speeches.

A note on using this word

Tribute historically also meant payment made by one ruler or nation to another as a sign of submission, a sense still used in historical contexts.

Words with a similar meaning

homagehonor

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

insult

Another way to use it

2. noun

Historically, payment made periodically by one state or ruler to another, often to avoid conflict.

The smaller kingdom paid tribute to the empire to maintain peace.

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