celebrate

verb cel·e·brate \ ˈse-lə-ˌbrāt \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: celebrate in a Sentence

Definition of celebrate

celebrated; celebrating

transitive verb

1 : to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites

A priest celebrates Mass.

2 a : 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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celebration

play \ˌse-lə-ˈbrā-shən\ noun

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celebrative

play \ˈse-lə-ˌbrā-tiv\ adjective

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celebrator

play \-tər\ noun

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celebratory

play \-brə-ˌtȯr-ē, ˌse-lə-ˈbrā-tə-rē\ adjective

See celebrate defined for English-language learners

See celebrate defined for kids

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

While Maleka was celebrating her 15 year wedding anniversary with her husband Tiran Jackson in the Bahamas, the engine on their tour boat suddenly exploded, killing Maleka and leaving her husband severely injured.

— ashley mcdonough, Essence.com, "GoFundMe Set Up For Family Of Atlanta Woman Killed In Bahamas Boat Accident On Her Anniversary Raises $140K," 12 July 2018
Two days after Duchess Kate's parents and siblings turned out to celebrate Prince Louis's christening in London, Pippa and her brother James made a court side appearance at Wimbledon.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "Pippa Middleton Just Wore the Perfect Summer Shirtdress to Wimbledon," 11 July 2018
On the second day of the summit, planes from the British Royal Air Force streaked overhead celebrating its 100th anniversary.

— The Economist, "Thanks to Boris Johnson, a farcical west-Balkan summit in London," 11 July 2018
Yesterday, the royal family—minus the queen and Prince Philip, who had other commitments—turned up to celebrate the christening of Prince William and Kate Middleton's youngest son, Prince Louis.

— abby gardner, Glamour, "Watch Princess Charlotte Tell Photographers They're 'Not Coming' to Her Brother's Christening," 10 July 2018
Ferrari Dinos, that is—got together in the automaker’s hometown of Maranello, Italy this week, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beloved car’s road debut.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "This Week in the Future of Cars: Lofty Goals, Raw Ambition," 7 July 2018
But the continuing success of general relativity, first written down a century ago, must surely be celebrated as one of the most incredible intellectual achievements of our species.

— james geach, Scientific American, "Triple-Star Test Shows Einstein Was Right, Again," 5 July 2018
This year, history-rich Boston celebrates America’s 242nd birthday with the 44th rendition of that very event, the Fourth of July Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, known to draw over half a million people.

— cassie shortsleeve, Condé Nast Traveler, "Where to Watch the 4th of July Fireworks 2018 in Boston," 4 July 2018
Family and friends came together to celebrate Bolton High School's Class of 2018, late last month.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "Bolton High Reflects At Graduation," 3 July 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

celebrate Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of celebrate

keep, observe, celebrate, commemorate mean to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed. keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

- kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

- not all holidays are observed nationally

celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

- traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

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

CELEBRATE Defined for English Language Learners

celebrate

verb

Definition of celebrate for English Language Learners

: to do something special or enjoyable for an important event, occasion, holiday, etc.
: to praise (someone or something) : to say that (someone or something) is great or important
: to perform (a religious ceremony)