From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgratitudegrat‧i‧tude /ˈɡrætɪtjuːd $ -tuːd/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] THANKthe feeling of being grateful OPP ingratitude Tears of gratitude filled her eyes.gratitude to/towards She had a deep gratitude towards David, but she did not love him.gratitude for The committee expressed its gratitude for the contribution he had made.in gratitude for something Will you let me take you out to dinner tomorrow in gratitude for what you’ve done?with gratitude She accepted his offer with gratitude. → debt of gratitude at debt(4)COLLOCATIONSverbsexpress your gratitudeWe would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their generous donations.show your gratitudeHer face showed her gratitude.feel gratitudeHe felt a certain gratitude to Eleanor for giving him this idea.earn somebody's gratitudeThe useful service she performed raising money has earned our gratitude.adjectivessomebody's eternal/undying gratitude (=used to emphasize how extremely grateful you are)The doctors who saved my daughter have my undying gratitude.somebody's deep gratitude (also profound gratitude formal)My only emotions afterward were relief and deep gratitude.somebody's sincere gratitudeFirst, I must express our sincere gratitude for all you have done.somebody's immense gratitude (=being very grateful)He would like everyone to know about his immense gratitude for all their work.phrasesa feeling/sense of gratitudeShe had a sudden feeling of gratitude towards him.owe somebody a debt of gratitudeI owe my former teacher a deep debt of gratitude.
Examples from the Corpus
gratitude• She accepted his expressions of sympathy and gratitude for seeing him, with sweet womanly grace.• He wrote again, expressing gratitude for the help he had received.• "I'll take the van back, shall I?" he asked, and Elise nodded in gratitude.• Once Castro came to power, he presented Greene with a painting in gratitude.• A few clapped, but I think it was in gratitude for their drinks.• I wept in gratitude at seeing her genuinely happy smile and the tender ministrations of the two women near her.• I would like to express my gratitude to everyone that helped us.• She felt a deep sense of gratitude to the teacher who had encouraged her to go on to university.• Bruised shadows of fatigue showed beneath her eyes - eyes in which Trent read gratitude and the beginnings of dependency.• The fact that gratitude is the motive of praise could not be more clearly expressed.• Aelred suggested that the Commission write to the Rev. MacLean expressing their gratitude for all the help he has given.• I would have gone down on my knees and wept with gratitude if Phagu had not been watching.in gratitude for something• A few clapped, but I think it was in gratitude for their drinks.• The third portrait he promised to give to Madame Zborowska in gratitude for acting as a model.Origin gratitude (1400-1500) French Latin gratitudo, from gratus; → GRATEFUL 