From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrespectsrespects[plural] formalHELLO polite greetingsgive/send your respects (to somebody) Give my respects to your wife.pay your respects (to somebody) British English (=make a polite visit) I’ve come to pay my respects to Mrs O'Hara. → respect
Examples from the Corpus
pay your respects (to somebody)• When the singing was over and Anthony buried, the mourners went to the family and paid their respects.• They looked pale and drawn as one person after another came before them, presumably paying their respects before the service began.• After he died, people started arriving to pay their respects, and cards and flowers came flooding through the door.• Enough young men came to pay their respects, Burun was aware.• It will only take a minute or two, but your friends will be grateful that you came to pay your respects.• He shows no surprise that Fairfax has come to pay his respects after nearly fifty years.• No one had gone up to the casket itself to pay their respects.• He paused to pay his respects but the official was busy with his heap of files. 