Complement Meaning
/ˈkɒmpləmənt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe totality, the full amount or number which completes something.
nounThe whole working force of a vessel.
Sentence Examples
In English, the usual sentence structure is Subject - Verb - Object/Complement.
A complete intransitive verb takes neither complement nor object.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A good wine is a perfect ____ for the rich flavors of aged cheese.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The dark red wine will perfectly ____ the flavor of the steak.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English complement, from Latin complēmentum (“that which fills up or completes”), from compleō (“to fill up; to complete”) (English complete). Doublet of compliment. The verb is from the noun.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Queequeg sought a passage to Christian lands. But the ship, having her full complement of seamen, spurned his suit; and not all the King his father's influence could prevail."
— 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
"Some 11 members of Somerton council's complement of 15 stepped down on Tuesday."
— 2009 October 30, The Guardian:
"History is the complement of poetry."
— 1854, James Stephen, On Desultory and Systematic Reading:
"It would be too much to imagine that improving stations will alone create a much needed new image in the public eye; a smartly turned out station staff is a very necessary complement to a smart station."
— 1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, page 255:
"London's Kings Place, now one year old, established itself as a venue for imaginative programming, a complement to the evergreen Wigmore Hall."
— 2009 December 13, The Guardian:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A good wine is a perfect ____ for the rich flavors of aged cheese.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The dark red wine will perfectly ____ the flavor of the steak.