commemorate
verb
com·mem·o·rate
kə-ˈme-mə-ˌrāt 
commemorated; commemorating
1
: to call to remembrance
St. Andrew is commemorated on November 30.
2
: to mark by some ceremony or observation : observe
commemorate an anniversary
3
: to serve as a memorial of
a plaque that commemorates the battle
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
The festival commemorates the town's founding.
The plaque commemorates the battle that took place here 200 years ago.
Each year on this date we commemorate our ancestors with a special ceremony.
Recent Examples on the Web
Currently, an octagon is being built on the White House South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250, a June 14 cage-fighting event commemorating America's 250th anniversary.
—
Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 30 May 2026
The $250 bill would commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, the proposal said.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 29 May 2026
On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, Allure revisits a story journalist and author Rebecca Mead wrote for our August 2012 issue to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the star's death.
—Rebecca Mead, Allure, 29 May 2026
The first 15,000 folks through the Truist Park gates on Tuesday get a bobblehead commemorating David Justice’s homer in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for commemorate
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Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 30 May 2026
The $250 bill would commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, the proposal said.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 29 May 2026
On the occasion of Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, Allure revisits a story journalist and author Rebecca Mead wrote for our August 2012 issue to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the star's death.
—Rebecca Mead, Allure, 29 May 2026
The first 15,000 folks through the Truist Park gates on Tuesday get a bobblehead commemorating David Justice’s homer in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 May 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 2 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commemorate
verb
com·mem·o·rate
kə-ˈmem-ə-ˌrāt
commemorated; commemorating
1
: to call to remembrance
2
: to mark by a ceremony
3
: to be a memorial of
a plaque that commemorates the event
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