pay (one's) respects1. To express polite respect, as by paying a visit or addressing one's host: "He paid his respects to the newly-weds, clapping the groom on the shoulder and saying something that made him laugh" (Clare Clark).
2. To express mournful respect for the dead, as by attending a wake or delivering a eulogy: "Six Capuchin monks, sitting by the coffin, took turns reciting the prayers for the dead as dignitaries filed by to pay their respects" (David I. Kertzer).