last respects

Attending someone's funeral is sometimes referred to as last respects. If you adored your Great Aunt Hilda, it might feel important to pay your last respects to her.

Paying your last respects means saying goodbye to a person one last time. As the phrase implies, it's a way to show respect, or a polite kind of admiration, for someone at the end of their life. If you get the opportunity to pay your last respects to a beloved grandparent, you'll probably feel grateful for time with family members who all remember them fondly. This phrase comes from the 17th-century idiom paying one's respects, "politely visiting someone."

Definitions of last respects

1. noun

   the act of expressing respect for someone who has died
   “he paid his last respects by standing quietly at the graveside”

   type of:

   deference, respect

   a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard