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Glite Dictionary
last respects

last respects

5 3.8
An act of saying goodbye to someone who has died, usually at their funeral
  • noun
  • Formal
translation icon : últimos respetos
  • Might as well sit here till the rest of the world comes by to pay their last respects.
  • pay their last respects

Examples

  • Just paying my last respects.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "It might not hurt to pay your last respects," Matthew said.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Just came to pay our last respects.

    Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)

  • If you had told me, I would have taken you, given me a chance to pay my last respects.

    Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

  • So a man can't pay his last respects?

    F9 (2021)

  • The funeral was a sad affair, with most of the townspeople turning out to pay their last respects.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He was already there when they arrived, paying his last respects to the graves.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • When his father died, the worshipers who gathered in the small hall brought the body to the synagogue to pay their last respects.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The body had been laid out for three days; various relatives had visited to pay their last respects, meals had been eaten, and tears had been shed.

    Blog text (14)

  • We are gathered here today to pay our last respects to Sten.

Synonyms

tribute
vslast respects
206 4.5

Words or actions that show respect and praise

is specifically the act of honoring a deceased person at funerals or memorials
homage
vslast respects
  • Formal
61 6.8

Public respect shown to someone or something in a formal ceremony

is used for honoring someone who has died rather than general public praise
respects
vslast respects
  • Formal
3.7

To show that you admire or feel sorry for someone, for example at a funeral

is specifically the act of honoring someone who has recently died

Surface Forms

last respects singular
last respects plural

Morphology

last + respects

The meaning is directly compositional: 'last' (= final) combined with 'respects' (= formal gestures of honor) yields 'final expressions of respect,' which maps onto paying honor to someone who has died. This formation is a common, cross-linguistic way to mark a final act of respect (often in the collocation 'pay last respects'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely understand it.

Etymology

Last respects comes from the idea of a final visit at a coffin or grave, where people showed their respects by bowing, speaking quietly, or laying flowers. So, last respects today means a 'final goodbye' or 'to show honor' to someone who has died.