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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The town was boisterous: Eid al-Fitr, the three-day feast celebrating the end of Ramadan, was starting.
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Be assured that hateful lawsuits are not going to stop me from celebrating our nation’s diversity.
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At Malibu’s celebrated Surfrider, the locals loaned him boards.
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Film Science Fiction’s Under-Appreciated Feminist Icon—Gabrielle Bellot celebrates one of the genre’s first protagonists to own her own womanhood.
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So, how will Foy celebrate her first-ever Emmy nod?
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Three surviving members and Page’s family will attend the SEC Championship game in December to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the first varsity black athletes to play in a conference football game.
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Over the holiday weekend, former first daughter Malia Obama celebrated her 19th birthday like a true young New Yorker—with an evening out in east end of Long Island.
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The three colorways in this collection celebrate the long lineage of the classic 574 style, and represent each of the three partners.
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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