commemorate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to serve as a memorial or reminder of.
The monument commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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to honor the memory of by some observance.
to commemorate the dead by a moment of silence; to commemorate Bastille Day.
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to make honorable mention of.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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commemoratornoun
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commemorableadjective
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commemorativeadjective
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uncommemoratedadjective
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commemorativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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commemoratesimple
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commemoratessimple
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have commemoratedperfect
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has commemoratedperfect
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am commemoratingprogressive
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are commemoratingprogressive
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is commemoratingprogressive
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have been commemoratingperfect progressive
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has been commemoratingperfect progressive
Past
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commemoratedsimple
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had commemoratedperfect
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was commemoratingprogressive
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were commemoratingprogressive
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had been commemoratingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing commemorate
Memorial Day Words
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 5
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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.
"I try to commemorate cultural moments in New York City, and this seemed to be a big one, so just capturing a little time capsule from that moment in time," he said.
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
The aircraft was struck as millions across the United States celebrated the nation's 250th anniversary with fireworks - part of the annual tradition to commemorate independence.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
Strawberries and white wine were on the menu, and - as has now become customary - one of the empty bottles was annotated and encased in a glass table to commemorate Sinner's latest success.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Later, during the administration’s summer-long festival to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, IndyCars will race in a fossil fuel-burning extravaganza around and around the National Mall — home to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
He never had a headstone to commemorate his life.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
