commemorate
verb
Did you know?
When you remember something, you are mindful of it. And you are especially mindful when you commemorate something, formalizing your remembrance by doing something special, such as attending a parade or taking part in a ceremony. It’s appropriate, therefore, that commemorate and other related memory-associated words (including memorable, memorial, remember, and memory itself) come from the Latin root memor, meaning “mindful.” English speakers have been marking the memory of important events with commemorate since the late 16th century.
Examples of commemorate in a Sentence
Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Polis and survivors of the Holocaust — Colorado residents Osi Sladek and Barbara Steinmetz — will commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
One guy wearing a World Series of Poker cap was snoozing just a few feet from Circa’s Sports Gambling Hall of Fame, which features plaques commemorating America’s betting behemoths, including several men who live overseas for fear of prosecution.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
But before the country could commemorate him, and ahead of his funeral Wednesday, forensic teams combed a cemetery in northern Gaza, working to locate, exhume and identify his remains as part of a broad effort involving search teams, intelligence officers and forensic dentists.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commemorate
Cite this Entry
“Commemorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commemorate. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commemorate
verb
