celebrate

[ sel-uh-breyt ]

See synonyms for: celebrate celebrated celebrates celebrating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),cel·e·brat·ed, cel·e·brat·ing.

to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities: to celebrate Christmas; to celebrate the success of a new play.
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),cel·e·brat·ed, cel·e·brat·ing.

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.

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 -ate¹

Other words for celebrate

1	commemorate, solemnize
3	laud, glorify, hail, acclaim, applaud, commend

See synonyms for celebrate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from celebrate

cel·e·bra·tive, adjective
cel·e·bra·tor, cel·e·brat·er, noun
cel·e·bra·to·ry [sel-uh-bruh-tawr-ee], /ˈsɛl ə brəˌtɔr i/, adjective
pre·cel·e·brate, verb, pre·cel·e·brat·ed, pre·cel·e·brat·ing.
re·cel·e·brate, verb, re·cel·e·brat·ed, re·cel·e·brat·ing.
un·cel·e·brat·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with celebrate

celebrate , celibate, cerebrate

Words Nearby celebrate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use celebrate in a sentence

The family visited the club in April to celebrate Passover, a period that overlaps with several of the largest Secret Service charges.
Trump’s businesses charged Secret Service more than $1.1 million, including for rooms in club shuttered for pandemic | David Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey | September 17, 2020 | Washington Post
As the pandemic stretches into the North American autumn, some are determined to not let it ruin Halloween—even though celebrating the holiday might come with risk.
Zoom parties, throwing candy: How Halloween might happen during Covid-19 | Alexandra Ossola | September 17, 2020 | Quartz
Bernard Tyson, the celebrated former CEO of Kaiser Permanente who passed this past November, was one of the most influential health care leaders of his generation.
Bernard Tyson’s profound impact continues even after his death—through a new social investment fund | cleaf2013 | September 16, 2020 | Fortune
The Capital Pride Alliance is hosting its first completely virtual Pride Stride, a nationwide event to celebrate National Coming Out Day.
D.C. fall calendar filled with virtual events | Steph Purifoy | September 16, 2020 | Washington Blade
To celebrate LGBT History Month, HBO Max is releasing the four-part docuseries “Equal.”
Fall TV season brings handful of queer shows | Brian T. Carney | September 16, 2020 | Washington Blade

Rashad was there to celebrate the release of the Civil Rights drama Selma.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
That would truly be a milestone to celebrate—until you see what that record “diversity” actually means.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress | Dean Obeidallah | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
How do you celebrate when happy occasions are colored by loss and absence?
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone | Samantha Levine | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was told he could go back home to his house arrest to celebrate the New Year with his wife and their two children.
Russia’s Rebel In Chief Escapes House Arrest | Anna Nemtsova | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
To celebrate the year, here are the top 10 anti-science salvos of 2014.
2014: Revenge of the Creationists | Karl W. Giberson | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They were just about to celebrate tabagie, or a solemn feast, over his last farewell.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614 | Various
Besides, these are only a few intimate friends who have assembled to celebrate my daughter's fte-day.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 | Various
All were there to celebrate the birth of the New Year, and to "play the game," however chastened they might feel on the morrow.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
As we are then about to celebrate the purification, we have written unto you: and you shall do well, if you keep the same days.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
Couldn't you smoke it now, and then we'd go out next week and celebrate your recovery.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, November 4, 1914 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for celebrate

celebrate

/ (ˈsɛlɪˌbreɪt) /

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

Origin of celebrate

C15: from Latin celebrāre, from celeber numerous, thronged, renowned

Derived forms of celebrate

celebration, noun
celebrative, adjective
celebrator, noun
celebratory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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