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commemorate

American  

[kuh-mem-uh-reyt] / kəˈmɛm əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

• commemorates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• commemorated,
  past participle,  past
• commemorating
  present participle

1. 

   to serve as a memorial or reminder of.

   The monument commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

2. to honor the memory of by some observance.

   to commemorate the dead by a moment of silence; to commemorate Bastille Day.

3. to make honorable mention of.

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commemorate British  

/ kəˈmɛməˌreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to honour or keep alive the memory of

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• commemorator
  noun
• commemorable
  adjective
• commemorative
  adjective
• uncommemorated
  adjective
• commemoratively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• commemorating
  present
• commemorated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• commemorate
  simple
• commemorates
  simple
• have commemorated
  perfect
• has commemorated
  perfect
• am commemorating
  progressive
• are commemorating
  progressive
• is commemorating
  progressive
• have been commemorating
  perfect progressive
• has been commemorating
  perfect progressive

Past

• commemorated
  simple
• had commemorated
  perfect
• was commemorating
  progressive
• were commemorating
  progressive
• had been commemorating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will commemorate
  simple
• will have commemorated
  perfect
• will be commemorating
  progressive
• will have been commemorating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of commemorate

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin commemorātus “recalled,” past participle of commemorāre “to recall, put on record,” from com- com- + memor “mindful” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Explanation

To commemorate something means to remember something and by doing so to honor it, as in “We would like to commemorate his many years of past service by presenting him with this lovely gold watch.” The word commemorate has a pretty clear echo of memory in it, so it can help to keep it in your mind just by noticing that. You might also notice that you’ve seen the word before, either in late-night infomercials or in various advertisements in magazines, when they talk about commemorative plates, or stamps, or coins: little things that are supposed to honor events or people by recalling them to our collective memory.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commemorate commemorates commemorated commemorating

His work’s broad appeal meant Max was often called on to commemorate special occasions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

When we commemorate the D-Day victory at Normandy, we don’t discuss why American planners failed to anticipate the dangers of the hedgerows beyond the beaches, where many American servicemen subsequently died.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Every year on 11 September, bells ring to commemorate the exact time that each of the four planes crashed, and the exact time the Twin Towers fell.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Maysan Suleiman, a 35-year-old from Al-Ram, said she came to commemorate "the martyrs".

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

He never had a headstone to commemorate his life.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Juneteenth, which commemorates the effective end of slavery in the U.S., is often referred to as Freedom Day or Black Independence Day.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

Juneteenth — a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States — is being marked on Friday, and there are many closures related to the holiday, including financial markets.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

It commemorates the day—June 19, 1865—when news of emancipation reached people in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

It is definitely commendable that the Dodgers “museum” commemorates Glenn Burke and Billy Bean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026

“This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Hong Kong, once a refuge for those fleeing China post 1989, commemorated the killings every year with a vigil.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Several batters later, however, Yan commemorated his second major league strikeout similarly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Patni commemorated Akash with a framed photograph and a life-size cutout, decorated with flowers and surrounded by scattered rose petals and lit lamps.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

Over the past 250 years, Americans have commemorated Independence Day with festivals, barbecues, music and fireworks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Soldiers and war heroes are honored and commemorated, explorers are granted immortal fame, martyrs are revered, but how many people look upon women too as soldiers?

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

From the first anniversary, commemorating the attacks has carried a careful choreography.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

A shield commemorating Sir David was installed in 2023 a couple of seats away from where he used to sit in the chamber.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

It was spent taking trade offers for players on their last-place team and commemorating the 40th anniversary of their 1986 World Series championship team — their last championship team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

Devoted Shia Muslims take pride in martyrdom, commemorating the Battle of Karbala in 680 where Hussein was killed by Umayyad caliph Yazid.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

He wants the art club to do a mural-size poster for the wall outside the office commemorating these past three weeks.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• celebrate
• memorialize
• observe
• remember
• salute