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as in to celebrate
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word observe different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of observe are celebrate, commemorate, and keep. While all these words mean "to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed," observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

not all holidays are observed nationally

When is celebrate a more appropriate choice than observe?

The meanings of celebrate and observe largely overlap; however, celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

When is it sensible to use commemorate instead of observe?

Although the words commemorate and observe have much in common, 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

When could keep be used to replace observe?

While the synonyms keep and observe are close in meaning, keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of observe Critics say displaying those details may encourage some observing the festival to boycott shops owned by those of another faith – an attack on the secularism enshrined in the constitution. Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 25 July 2025 Since then, astronomers have observed a further 2,000 Type 1a supernovas with different telescopes. Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 July 2025 Using advanced imaging techniques, the researchers observed that, in a mouse intestine, the telocytes use cytonemes to deliver Wnts directly to individual stem cells within the crypt. New Atlas, 24 July 2025 What a $1 Million Lifetime Wage Gap Looks Like Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, observed each July, marks how far into the year this demographic must work to match what white men earned the year before. Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for observe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observe
Verb
  • Investors should obey the rising 200-day and check back every Friday close.
    Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 24 July 2025
  • Kathy obeyed, calling up Paris and handing the phone to the podcast host.
    Rachel McRady, People.com, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • The Duchess of Sussex celebrated the drop on her Instagram Stories prior to sharing the details of her birthday celebration.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The goal cued stadium-wide celebrations that even saw Spirit keeper Aubrey Kingsbury sprint the length of the field to celebrate with her teammates.
    Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Lorre, who got McMartin and Nick Bakay on board, described his experience watching Morgan’s Netflix comedy special.
    Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
  • American Kate Douglass set a new American and event record en route to gold in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke at the swimming world championships, with the world-record holder watching it all from just behind in the next lane.
    Zack Pierce, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Currently, charting songs from ten of those performers equal 50 percent of the all-genre Hot 100 charts' top 20 and 40 percent of the top 50 hits, reflecting Nashville's influence.
    Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 26 July 2025
  • Rather than racing through content, by focusing on perspective transformation – where students change their frames of reference by critically reflecting on assumptions –– science/tech can be as effective as other disciplines at building critical thinking, communication, and creative capabilities.
    Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Verb
  • In Sunday’s victory against the Blue Jays, the Tigers noticed something off with Meadows both on the field and in the bases.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 29 July 2025
  • Some people notice soft, fine hair regrowing on the affected areas initially, which thickens and darkens over time.
    Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • The Cubs kept Sandberg at second base permanently following the 1982 season.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025
  • Two more taxi services followed: Harlem and Deluxe.
    Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • This year, Tharp is commemorating her company’s founding with a special 60th anniversary tour.
    Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
  • In 2016, Cyrus commemorated the 10th anniversary of the series with a lengthy post on Instagram.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2025
Verb
  • Though the board is expecting a $34.4 million deficit for the next school year, district administrators are eyeing $21.2 million in cuts since the district's financial policy requires it to keep a deficit only as high as $13.2 million to maintain a healthy fund balance, Gearing said.
    Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Prolific doc makers from both sides of the Atlantic are eyeing a doc series on Afrobeats icon Fela Kuti.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Observe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observe. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

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