celebrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
celebrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
celebrated,
past participle, past
-
celebrating
present participle
-
to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities.
to celebrate Christmas; to celebrate the success of a new play.
- Synonyms:
- solemnize, commemorate
-
to make known publicly; proclaim.
The newspaper celebrated the end of the war in red headlines.
-
to praise widely or to present to widespread and favorable public notice, as through newspapers or novels.
a novel celebrating the joys of marriage; the countryside celebrated in the novels of Hardy.
-
to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize.
to celebrate a marriage.
verb (used without object)
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celebrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
celebrated,
past participle, past
-
celebrating
present participle
-
to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities.
-
to perform a religious ceremony, especially Mass or the Lord's Supper.
-
to have or participate in a party, drinking spree, or uninhibited good time.
You look like you were up celebrating all night.
verb
-
to rejoice in or have special festivities to mark (a happy day, event, etc)
-
(tr) to observe (a birthday, anniversary, etc)
she celebrates her ninetieth birthday next month
-
(tr) to perform (a solemn or religious ceremony), esp to officiate at (Mass)
-
(tr) to praise publicly; proclaim
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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celebraternoun
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celebrationnoun
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celebratornoun
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precelebrateverb
-
recelebrateverb
-
celebrativeadjective
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celebratoryadjective
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uncelebratingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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celebratesimple
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celebratessimple
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have celebratedperfect
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has celebratedperfect
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am celebratingprogressive
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are celebratingprogressive
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is celebratingprogressive
-
have been celebratingperfect progressive
-
has been celebratingperfect progressive
Past
-
celebratedsimple
-
had celebratedperfect
-
was celebratingprogressive
-
were celebratingprogressive
-
had been celebratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of celebrate
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin celebrātus, past participle of celebrāre “to solemnize, celebrate, honor,” equivalent to celebr- (stem of celeber ) “often repeated, famous” + -ātus past participle suffix; see -ate 1
Explanation
To celebrate means to mark a special day, event, or holiday. You might celebrate a birthday, a religious holiday, or even the anniversary of a famous battle. Use celebrate for festive, happy occasions. If the special day, event, or holiday is more solemn or introspective, a verb like observe is often used. After we observe Memorial Day, we look forward to celebrating the Fourth of July. The verb can also mean to honor or praise — "The book celebrated the life of the actress who had given so much to worthy causes."
Vocabulary lists containing celebrate
Academy Awards, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bright red banners nearby celebrate last year’s 70th anniversary of China making Xinjiang an official “autonomous region.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“The Lord of the Rings” fans have reason to celebrate with the release of “The Rings of Power” Season 3 trailer: “One Ring to rule them all” is upon us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
CNN chairman Mark Thompson described her as "one of the most trusted and beloved journalists anywhere" and said the network will take time to celebrate her "before she departs next year".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Some unironic astrology: To celebrate Slate’s 30th birthday, Slate writer Heather Schwedel asked several astrologers to interpret the magazine’s birth chart.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
She wore an outfit entirely made of sequins to celebrate her first day and appeared as we all stood outside the classroom, waiting for school to start.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
This year’s Nobel prize celebrates work that started with a question that may sound esoteric: how do Chlamydomonas swim toward light?
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
The occasion for their concern is this bull market’s fourth birthday, which it celebrates this week.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Our ambition here is to make this a global event that celebrates the biggest stars on television around the world,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said in an interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
As the U.S. celebrates the animal named its national mammal in 2016, it’s worth remembering a seeming paradox: Economic forces devastated the buffalo and then, more than any act of Congress, brought it back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Every spring, our synagogue celebrates the story of Esther.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
For now, Manning’s two documented Colorado properties remain the clearest picture of his current real estate portfolio, reflecting his enduring connection to the city where he concluded his celebrated football career.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
It has been celebrated for its unexpected boost to the local economy, with Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo thanking it for generating publicity he said would otherwise have cost "trillions".
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
U2 — which features singer Bono, lead guitarist the Edge, bass player Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. — celebrated their 50th anniversary last month with a concert.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The shared liberty of both countries was to be celebrated by this gift to America from another struggling democracy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
They celebrated what would have been Willow’s tenth birthday once.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
New York Knicks owner James Dolan stood outside New York’s City Hall this summer celebrating his team’s first championship in 53 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, the film critic, author and journalist has made a career out of celebrating her city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Festival organiser Julie Colman said: "We bring together lots and lots of events across the two-week period, celebrating the skies, the wildlife, the wellbeing elements of it."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
She realized she wanted to spend more time in the city when celebrating her daughter Maxwell’s 11th birthday, and began “looking at real estate that day.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
I decided not to shell out any of my hard-earned cash on cheap memorabilia...though celebrating with transfat was tempting.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
