Definition of celebrate
celebrated
;celebrating
transitive verb
1 : to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites A priest celebrates Mass.
2a : to honor (an occasion, such as a holiday) especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business The nation celebrates Memorial Day.b : to mark (something, such as an anniversary) by festivities or other deviation from routine celebrated their 25th anniversary
3 : to hold up or play up for public notice her poetry celebrates the glory of nature
intransitive verb
1 : to observe a holiday, perform a religious ceremony, or take part in a festival The holiday revelers celebrated all day long.
2 : to observe a notable occasion with festivities decided the only way to celebrate was to have a party
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Examples of celebrate in a Sentence
We are celebrating my birthday by going out to dinner.
The family gathered to celebrate Christmas.
We are celebrating our anniversary next week.
They are celebrating the birth of their third child.
The book celebrates the movies of the past.
Her lecture celebrated the genius of the artist.
He is celebrated for his contributions to modern science.
A priest celebrates Mass at the church daily.
Recent Examples of celebrate from the Web
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Forty years have passed since Lucas’s first season as Braves’ GM, and in February the team celebrated the anniversary in a ceremony at the brand-new SunTrust Park.
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The New Trier boys lacrosse team celebrates after scoring its first goal less than 30 seconds into its state semifinal game on Wednesday in Northfield.
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Central Alabama Pride knows exactly how to celebrate Pride Week, with a series of events that stretches June 2-11 and includes Latin dancing, a drag brunch, a baseball game, a skating party and a performance by the Steel City Men’s Chorus.
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President Kennedy celebrated a festive 46th birthday yesterday, enjoying cake and good cheer with staff in the White House’s Navy Mess Hall.
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President Kennedy celebrated a festive 46th birthday yesterday, enjoying cake and good cheer with staff in the White House’s Navy Mess Hall.
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Americans celebrating Memorial Day this weekend -- the unofficial kick-off to summer and the grilling season -- can keep the party going with cheaper pork chops.
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Roode -- who celebrated birthday 40 on May 11 -- is one of the veterans in the locker room.
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Long celebrated for his peppy still life paintings and fantastical landscapes, the 96-year-old California native is currently in London for a survey show at the city’s White Cube gallery.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'celebrate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of celebrate
Middle English celebraten, borrowed from Latin celebrātus, past participle of celebrāre “to throng, frequent, observe (an occasion, festivity), praise” (probably originally back-formation from earlier concelebrāre “to frequent, honor”), derivative of celebr-, celeber “much used, frequented, widely known, famed,” probably going back to *kelesri-, of uncertain origin
Synonym Discussion of celebrate
CELEBRATE Defined for English Language Learners
celebrate
playDefinition of celebrate for English Language Learners
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: to do something special or enjoyable for an important event, occasion, holiday, etc.
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: to praise (someone or something) : to say that (someone or something) is great or important
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: to perform (a religious ceremony)
CELEBRATE Defined for Kids
Learn More about celebrate
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See words that rhyme with celebrate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for celebrate Spanish Central: Translation of celebrate Nglish: Translation of celebrate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of celebrate for Arabic speakers
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