celebration
Americannoun
-
celebrations
plural
-
the act of celebrating.
We want to do something special in celebration of Amy’s great new job.
-
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:
The couple said the weekend trip, which was financed by Kremlev, was previously planned and wasn’t initially intended to be a wedding celebration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The statement was released Monday after investigative journalism outlet ProPublica published a story detailing that Kremlev paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for the celebration.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
ProPublica earlier reported that Kremlev financed the celebration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Most every show business satire is also a show business celebration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Then, just before Shavuot, the celebration of receiving the Torah, her sideways life flipped completely when Håkon, the last dragon in Kievan Rus’, appeared in her village and saved her life.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Backstage, the winners continued their celebrations offscreen and answered questions about their wins and some of the ceremony's most viral moments.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Atlantic Industrial Coatings found problems with both the design and execution of the project, which was fast-tracked ahead of July Fourth celebrations.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
But behind the celebrations is a warning that a crucial element of U.S. national power is in trouble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
My fiancé needed a suit for the upcoming celebrations, so we went shopping.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
They were supposed to include her in family celebrations and vacations and help her enroll in educational programs and even pay her tuition if necessary.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
Definitions 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.
