respect

[[t]rɪspe̱kt[/t]]

♦♦

respects, respecting, respected

1) VERB If you respect someone, you have a good opinion of their character or ideas.

[V n] I want him to respect me as a career woman...

[V n] He needs the advice of people he respects, and he respects you.

2) N-UNCOUNT: usu N for n If you have respect for someone, you have a good opinion of them.

→ See also self-respect

I have tremendous respect for Dean...

His voice was warm with friendship and respect.

3) PHRASE: PHR with cl (politeness) You can say with respect when you are politely disagreeing with someone or criticizing them.

With respect, Minister, you still haven't answered my question...

With respect, I hardly think that's the point.

4) VERB If you respect someone's wishes, rights, or customs, you avoid doing things that they would dislike or regard as wrong.

[V n] Finally, trying to respect her wishes, I said I'd leave.

5) N-UNCOUNT: usu N for n If you show respect for someone's wishes, rights, or customs, you avoid doing anything they would dislike or regard as wrong.

They will campaign for the return of traditional lands and respect for aboriginal rights and customs.

6) VERB If you respect a law or moral principle, you agree not to break it.

[V n] It is about time tour operators respected the law and their own code of conduct.

N-UNCOUNT: usu N for n

Respect is also a noun.

...respect for the law and the rejection of the use of violence.

7) PHRASE: V inflects If you pay your respects to someone, you go to see them or speak to them. You usually do this to be polite, and not necessarily because you want to do it. [FORMAL]

Carl had asked him to visit the hospital and to pay his respects to Francis.

8) PHRASE: V inflects If you pay your last respects to someone who has just died, you show your respect or affection for them by coming to see their body or their grave.

The son had nothing to do with arranging the funeral, but came along to pay his last respects.

9) PHRASE: PHR with cl You use expressions like in this respect and in many respects to indicate that what you are saying applies to the feature you have just mentioned or to many features of something.

The children are not unintelligent - in fact, they seem quite normal in this respect...

In many respects Asian women see themselves as equal to their men.

10) PHRASE: PHR with cl You use with respect to to say what something relates to. In British English, you can also say in respect of. [FORMAL]

Parents often have little choice with respect to the way their child is medically treated...

Where Dr Shapland feels the system is not working most effectively is in respect of professional training.