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:
Year: 2015 Compiled by: Dana Stevens Of note: Written in commemoration of the show’s finale, although the Phineas and Ferb movies that have been released since then may necessitate a reassessment.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
An online petition is now calling for Mamdani to be uninvited to the commemoration services at Ground Zero.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
There will be tight security at the commemoration, with a police operation on a similar scale to those deployed for football matches and music events in Manchester, the BBC has learned.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 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
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
During Friday’s 9/11 commemorations, it was startling to realize that one-third of the American population today wasn’t born when it happened.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend parades across Northern Ireland as the annual Twelfth of July commemorations take place.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
His son, Mojtaba, the new supreme leader, was absent from the commemorations, fearing assassination himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
France's air force acrobatics team staged a flyover of the Statue of Liberty on Tuesday, part of commemorations for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
