ADJ
great, higher/highest, tremendous
She felt a tremendous compliment when her teacher praised her presentation in front of the whole class.
pretty | unexpected
backhanded, double-edged, dubious
When she said his cooking was interesting for a beginner, it felt like a backhanded compliment.
VERB + COMPLIMENT
pay sb
mean sth as
I really meant that comment as a compliment, even though it didn't sound right.
get, receive
accept, acknowledge
He accepted the compliments about his cooking with obvious pleasure.
regard sth as, take sth as
When she said I was stubborn, I decided to take it as a compliment.
fish for
He kept fishing for compliments after finishing his project, hoping someone would praise his work.
repay, return
She repaid his compliment about her cooking by praising his excellent taste in wine.
PREP
~ on
My teacher gave me a compliment on my essay yesterday.
~ to
A nice gift is always a compliment to the host for inviting you.
VERB + COMPLIMENT
give sb, present (sb with), send sb
I sent her a compliment about her beautiful garden design.
COMPLIMENT + NOUN
slip
Sarah found a compliments slip tucked inside the birthday gift box.
PREP
with sb's ~
~ to
I'd like to pay a compliment to your teacher for making the lesson so interesting.