observe

play

verb ob·serve \ əb-ˈzərv \

Definition of observe

observed; observing

transitive verb

1 :to conform one's action or practice to (something, such as a law, rite, or condition) :comply with

failed to observe the law and as a consequence had to pay a fine

2 :to inspect or take note of as an augury, omen, or presage

observed the flight of the sacred geese

3 :to celebrate or solemnize (something, such as a ceremony or festival) in a customary or accepted way

observed Independence Day with a parade

4 a :to watch carefully especially with attention to details or behavior for the purpose of arriving at a judgment

observed the behavior of the children

b :to make a scientific observation on or of

observed the mating habits of the grouse

5 :to come to realize or know especially through consideration of noted facts

… observed that the indefinite reduction of any given risk to society often brings with it an increase in other risks.
—E. L. Zebroski

6 :to utter as a remark

"The paint," she observed, "is already starting to peel."

intransitive verb

1 a :to take notice

When your teacher is demonstrating something, sit up and observe!

b :to make observations :watch

Perform your tricks, and we will observe.

2 :remark, comment

In her speech she observed on the changing climate.

—

observingly

play \əb-ˈzər-viŋ-lē\ adverb

See observe defined for English-language learners

See observe defined for kids

Examples of observe in a Sentence

The class will be observing the movements of fish.
The patient must be observed constantly.
Children learn by observing their parents and others.
The new teacher will give the lesson today and the principal will observe.
We observed a large flock of birds heading north.
He observed two children playing with marbles on the street corner.
She observed that every man in the room had removed his hat.
Few cases of the disease have been observed in humans.

Recent Examples of observe from the Web

That investigation identified two people observed by security cameras as lurking near Sheremet’s car the night before the blast, and identified one of them as a former agent of the national security service, the SBU.

— dmytro vlasov, The Seattle Times, "Year after reporter killed in Ukraine, no progress in probe," 20 July 2017
Bannon’s reading eventually led him to the work of René Guénon, an early-20th-century French occultist and metaphysician who was raised a Roman Catholic, practiced Freemasonry, and later became a Sufi Muslim who observed the Sharia.

— joshua green, The Hive, "Inside the Secret, Strange Origins of Steve Bannon’s Nationalist Fantasia," 17 July 2017
Williams was stationed at the opposite side of the building, observing a woman who had stepped out of a late-model Oldsmobile to pace around the parking lot.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Swords worth nearly $1 million stolen from Truman Library in 1978 remain missing," 16 July 2017
Suddenly, gone were the days when observing the G20 was like watching paint dry.

— thomas wright, The Atlantic, "The G20 Is Obsolete," 11 July 2017
To this day, Kelly is shy with strangers, enjoys his own company and prefers to observe rather than engage.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Replay should never get it wrong," 6 July 2017
The vehicle belonging to Christensen was first observed in an apartment complex parking lot on June 12 — just days after Zhang went missing — and investigators questioned him.

— Bloomberg.com, "Chinese Scholar Believed Dead; Man Charged With Kidnapping," 1 July 2017
During analyst visits, officials observe work habits, such as how miners operate equipment, lift and perform other tasks, said Jim Vicini, director of Kentucky’s Division of Mine Safety.

— dylan lovan, The Seattle Times, "As coal dwindles, mining states trim safety inspections," 30 June 2017
Binoculars are a simple and inexpensive alternative to telescopes for surveying the night sky, and a pair that's safe for solar viewing are also a great option for observing the sun (during an eclipse or otherwise).

— don melanson, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Gear You'll Need to Watch This Summer's Solar Eclipse," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'observe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of observe

Middle English, from Anglo-French observer, from Latin observare to guard, watch, observe, from ob- in the way, toward + servare to keep — more at conserve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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