commemoration
Americannoun
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commemorations
plural
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the act of commemorating.
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a service, celebration, etc., in memory of some person or event.
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a memorial.
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(in many Christian churches) a special service or prayer for commemorating the lesser feast on days on which two feasts of unequal rank are celebrated.
noun
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the act or an instance of commemorating
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a ceremony or service in memory of a person or event
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of commemoration
1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin commemorātiōn- (stem of commemorātiō ), equivalent to commemorāt ( us ) ( see commemorate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A commemoration is a ceremony that honors someone's memory. A commemoration can also honor an event, like a war. A commemoration is a celebration of someone or something, usually in the form of a ceremony. Commemorations are often held on the anniversary of someone's birth or death. For example, there have been many commemorations for Martin Luther King to honor his contributions to the civil rights movement. On the anniversary of 9/11, commemorations are held to honor the dead. This word is all about remembering and respecting.
Vocabulary lists containing commemoration
May Vocabulary Words
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Total Recall: Mem
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An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States
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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:
He and his friends knew nothing about the commemoration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Several participants in the commemoration were draped in Israeli and EU flags, as they paid their respects at a monument erected in 2001 to mark the site of the pogrom.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
As Americans marked the 250th anniversary of independence, the nation’s largest planned celebration unfolded less like a unified commemoration and more like a stress test — of weather, logistics and competing visions of patriotism.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
His first concert at Lincoln Center as music director of the New York Philharmonic in September will open with Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls,” in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
When caught, these crabs are not eaten, but are returned to the sea in commemoration of the doleful events at Danno-ura.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
His son, Mojtaba, the new supreme leader, was absent from the commemorations, fearing assassination himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The commemorations now move to some of the most sacred sites for Shia Muslims, including in Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, and then to Najaf and Karbala in neighbouring Iraq.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
I’ve been there during the annual commemorations, and it’s a very moving experience.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a cease-fire in honor of Victory Day commemorations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Now after thirty-four years, the commemorations and interviews and presentations of posthumous honors have almost stopped, so that for months at a time Dedd is able to take up her own life again.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
