1. Something added to complete, embellish or make perfect
   "a fine wine is a perfect complement to the dinner";
   - accompaniment
    
2. Either of two parts that mutually complete each other
   "Salt and pepper are natural complements on the dinner table"
    
3. A word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction
   "In the sentence 'She seems happy', 'happy' is the complement of the verb 'seems'"
    
4. A complete number or quantity
   "a full complement"
    
5. Number needed to make up a whole force
   "a full complement of workers";
   - full complement
    
6. One of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response
   "The complement system plays a crucial role in fighting off infections"
    
7. (logic) the opposite of a statement
   "In logic, the complement of a proposition is its negation"
    
8. (geometry) the angle you need to add to a given angle to make a right angle
   "The complement of a 30° angle is 60°"
    
9. (immunology) one of several blood proteins that work with antibodies during an immune response
   "Complement proteins aid in destroying pathogens"

1. Make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to
   "I need some pepper to complement the sweet touch in the soup"

Sounds like: compliment

Derived forms: complements, complemented, complementing

Type of: adjunct, balance, construction, count, counterpart, enzyme, equilibrate, equilibrise [Brit], equilibrize, expression, grammatical construction, hands, manpower, men, tally, vis-à-vis, work force, workforce

Part of: immune reaction, immune response, immunologic response

Encyclopedia: Complement