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

Las Vegas also finds its own ways to commemorate its marks on history and popular culture — another way it’s proved useful for filming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Zhu died just days before the Communist Party leadership gathered to commemorate the birth centenary of President Jiang Zemin, who died in 2022.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Last week, Walter spoke briefly at the White House to commemorate the Dodgers’ second consecutive championship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Unlike virtual dark tourism that allows for “armchair travel” to real-world dark heritage sites, there is no physical location anchoring the Backrooms nor any historical tragedy to commemorate.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

He organized celebrations to honor veterans and commemorate anniversaries of the Wall, as well as spearheading fund-raising efforts to keep the memorial in good repair.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026

On Tuesday, both leaders paid a visit to the Friendship Tower, which commemorates Chinese soldiers who fought in the Korean war.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

Inside the building, a life-size painting depicting Wes Fisler, the Athletics’ first baseman that day, commemorates the event.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Nothing commemorates the site, only rubble and faded signs in overgrown thickets where hundreds of men once toiled and sometimes died.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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

"What happened at Trent Park was obviously very important and it's good it's being commemorated," said Adam Ganz, author of a radio play broadcast by the BBC called "Listening to the Generals".

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Those aircraft, along with six others, are all commemorated in the second set of stamps:

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

For Katherine, the report commemorated the beginning of a new phase not just at Langley but in her personal life.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

The launch took place on the day Japan was commemorating the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

“So many of these murals are commemorating people and events that are culturally important to those specific areas,” he added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 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

There’s a day for everything — and July 14 is, of course, most well known internationally for being Bastille Day, commemorating France’s independence.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Back in Romania, there was no celebration like this, not even on the day commemorating when Wallachia and Moldavia had united to form the kingdom.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• celebrate
• memorialize
• observe
• remember
• salute