celebration
Americannoun
-
celebrations
plural
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the act of celebrating.
We want to do something special in celebration of Amy’s great new job.
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a party or other festive event for celebrating something.
Don’t you think the birthday celebrations for preschoolers in this neighborhood are a bit over the top?
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebration
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin celebrātiōn- (stem of celebrātiō ) “large gathering, widespread use, celebration (of a festival)”; see celebrate, -ion
Explanation
A celebration is a joyful diversion. Your math class might have a celebration when you learn that the midterm has been postponed for a week. A celebration can be a festive party commemorating some joyous occasion, like your grandparents' fiftieth anniversary celebration or your brother's birthday celebration. It can also be a less formal marking of a happy event, like the arrival of your new puppy. Another meaning of celebration is a religious ceremony, such as communion or a bar mitzvah.
Vocabulary lists containing celebration
Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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Passover Vocabulary
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List 4
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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:
Together it has brought over 100,000 acres back to tribes, California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said at Wednesday’s celebration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
This election has, in some ways, been a celebration of democracy.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that if the Valkyries win, they might not have time to have an extended on-court celebration and trophy presentation, news that made analyst Chiney Ogwumike grasp her head in disbelief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
"It is a celebration of humanity because what you're seeing in this film is human creativity, human artistry, human effort on a grand scale," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
There would be no historical single slide across the river, no amazing story to tell, and no impromptu celebration complete with blackberry Snow Delights.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Australia's celebrations suggested they believe that was the crucial wicket.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
A native of Honduras, she relocated to the L.A. area at age 14 and was quickly enamored of the Mexican culture that surrounded her — specifically, the vivacious Día de los Muertos celebrations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Cranberries are a familiar part of holiday celebrations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Which is perhaps why, reading through the celebrations of Airbnb’s new rules, I keep imagining the other side of that sink full of dishes.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
The rotunda below was a mass of people, drinking, laughing, greeting each other, a kind of raucous party before the celebrations on the White Island.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
