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as in to celebrate
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word observe different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of observe are celebrate, commemorate, and keep. While all these words mean "to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed," observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

not all holidays are observed nationally

When is celebrate a more appropriate choice than observe?

The meanings of celebrate and observe largely overlap; however, celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

When is it sensible to use commemorate instead of observe?

Although the words commemorate and observe have much in common, commemorate suggests that an occasion is marked by observances that remind one of the origin and significance of the event.

commemorate Memorial Day with the laying of wreaths

When could keep be used to replace observe?

While the synonyms keep and observe are close in meaning, keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of observe Such fragility makes squid babies interesting to study and observe. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 July 2025 The plane’s fuel was tested and found to be of satisfactory quality, and no significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path, according to the report. Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 12 July 2025 It is best observed from dark sky locations far from bright city lights, and appears as a faint, cloud-like band arching across the sky toward the south. John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 11 July 2025 Other studies show that, when appropriately prompted, LLMs can replicate human decision-making patterns in economic experiments, or can accurately reproduce linguistic patterns and political inclinations observed in actual social media user behavior. François Candelon, Fortune, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for observe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observe
Verb
  • Guevara had warrants issued for his arrest in connection with charges of distracted driving, failing to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving, which were secured by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office on June 20.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
  • Discipline, on the other hand, is the process of training yourself to obey a set of rules and requires regulation of attention, emotion and behavior.
    Gina Park, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good Schmit and his grandson, Eddie. Members of the 2005 team are in Chicago this weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the championship run.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2025
  • The wrestling world just celebrated the 27th anniversary of Goldberg’s first world title win over Hulk Hogan on the July 6, 1998 broadcast of Nitro.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • More Amazon Prime Day shopping inspo coming at you in 3, 2, 1: Now, watch KATSEYE spill secrets: Shop all of our latest obsessions in one place!
    Allure, Allure, 8 July 2025
  • Here’s how to catch the upcoming celestial sights: When to watch full moon in July in California The seventh full moon of 2025 will reach peak illumination at 1:36 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, according to online calendar Time and Date.
    Hannah Poukish July 8, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Both should reflect you—not just your current role.
    Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
  • That's because open blinds and pulled back curtains allows the sun to shine through your home and reflect off the gas, thus adding more heat to the inside.
    Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • Sports fans may notice a difference in the race calls this season as longtime announcer Trevor Denman announced his retirement in March.
    Kelley Carlson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025
  • Residents in the area may continue to notice a gas-like odor.
    Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • The Death Row honcho’s life was forever changed the night his BMW was peppered with shots at the intersection of East Flamingo and Koval Lane in Las Vegas while riding with 2Pac on Sept. 7 following a Mike Tyson boxing fight at the MGM Grand.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the 1975 World Series, NESN put together a special retro broadcast for Tuesday’s game between the Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds designed to evoke the look and feel of that era.
    Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2025
  • This article on the wilderness areas along the Buffalo National River is the eighth in a series commemorating the 40th anniversary of the signing of federal legislation to create nine new federal wilderness areas in Arkansas.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025
Verb
  • Since then, the founders have been eyeing a big expansion in the United States.
    Simone Melvin, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
  • With the FedEx Cup Playoffs set to begin on August 6th, players are eyeing every opportunity to climb the standings.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Observe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observe. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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