celebrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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to make known publicly; proclaim.
The newspaper celebrated the end of the war in red headlines.
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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.
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to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize.
to celebrate a marriage.
verb (used without object)
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to observe a day or commemorate an event with ceremonies or festivities.
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to perform a religious ceremony, especially Mass or the Lord's Supper.
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to have or participate in a party, drinking spree, or uninhibited good time.
You look like you were up celebrating all night.
verb
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to rejoice in or have special festivities to mark (a happy day, event, etc)
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(tr) to observe (a birthday, anniversary, etc)
she celebrates her ninetieth birthday next month
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(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
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recelebrateverb
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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
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have been celebratingperfect progressive
-
has been celebratingperfect progressive
Past
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celebratedsimple
-
had celebratedperfect
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was celebratingprogressive
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were celebratingprogressive
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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:
Since the pop culture festival began in 1970, it has grown into a major event, with thousands of sometimes-costumed fans gathering in San Diego to buy memorabilia, see their idols and celebrate beloved stories.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“You should celebrate, for sure, but don’t stop doing the stuff that’s going to get you where you ultimately want to be.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
After the 1-0 defeat on Sunday, members of the Argentina team and backroom staff were involved in altercations with Spain players as they began to celebrate their World Cup success.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Spain players celebrate after defeating Argentina for the World Cup title on Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Absolutely. We’ll go somewhere nice to celebrate your graduation. Anywhere you like.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Opening Feb. 26 at LACMA, his new art installation celebrates 25 years of his beloved debut film, “Amores Perros.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Spain celebrates both a soccer win and a sense of wider success.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
PEN America describes itself as “the only national organization that both celebrates and defends creative expression.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates after his superb display in the win against Mexico at The Azteca.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Twig had insisted on dressing as an evil witch/candy cane hybrid for Halloween, even though nobody really celebrates Halloween in France, and Twig’s mom said she was being embarrassing.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
K'gari, the world's largest sand island, is celebrated for its striking freshwater lakes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
As for the long-germinating version of the records included, credit goes to celebrated audio engineer Doug Benson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Catalina Sanchez, a 64-year-old secretary who celebrated with her daughters until 4:00 am, hesitated to remove her sunglasses as she headed to work.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Burnham celebrated his new job with some "dodgy dad dancing" to Manchester band New Order, the paper reports.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Happiness seems like something that maybe always should be celebrated.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Cartier also has to spend heavily on advertising to ensure the brand is at the top of consumers’ minds when celebrating a special occasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
England supporters in Miami have been celebrating the team finishing third in the World Cup, after victory over France.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Where was the version of Son that everyone was celebrating a year ago?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
The irony of America celebrating its 250th birthday with a gigantic soccerfest wasn’t lost on anyone who still considered the game more foreign than a bottle of rosé at lunch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Men, women, and children throughout the neighborhood were still celebrating their beloved Boston Red Sox, who, led by Babe Ruth, had won the World Series on October 14, 1918.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
