Synonyms

observe

American

[uhb-zurv] / əbˈzɜrv /

verb (used with object)

to see, watch, perceive, or notice.

He observed the passersby in the street.

Antonyms:

ignore
to regard with attention, especially so as to see or learn something.

I want you to observe her reaction to the judge's question.

Synonyms:

note

Antonyms:

ignore
to watch, view, or note for a scientific, official, or other special purpose.

to observe an eclipse.

Antonyms:

ignore
to state by way of comment; remark.

He observed frequently that clerks were not as courteous as they used to be.

Synonyms:

say, mention
to keep or maintain in one's action, conduct, etc..

You must observe quiet.
to obey, comply with, or conform to.

to observe laws.

Synonyms:

fulfill, follow

Antonyms:

ignore
to show regard for by some appropriate procedure, ceremony, etc..

to observe Palm Sunday.

Synonyms:

keep, celebrate

Antonyms:

ignore
to perform duly or solemnize (ceremonies, rites, etc.).

Antonyms:

ignore
to note or inspect closely for an omen or sign of future events.

verb (used without object)

to notice.
to act as an observer.
to remark or comment (usually followed by on orupon ).

observe British

/ əbˈzɜːv /

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to see; perceive; notice

we have observed that you steal
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to watch (something) carefully; pay attention to (something)
to make observations of (something), esp scientific ones
to make a comment or remark

the speaker observed that times had changed
(tr) to abide by, keep, or follow (a custom, tradition, law, holiday, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

Observe, witness imply paying strict attention to what one sees or perceives. Both are “continuative” in action. To observe is to mark or be attentive to something seen, heard, etc.; to consider carefully; to watch steadily: to observe the behavior of birds, a person's pronunciation. To witness, formerly to be present when something was happening, has added the idea of having observed with sufficient care to be able to give an account as evidence: to witness an accident.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of observe

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English observen, from Middle French observer, from Latin observāre “to watch, regard, attend to,” equivalent to ob- ob- + servāre “to keep, save, pay heed to”

Explanation

Observe is often used to mean “remark” or “comment.” When trying to start up a conversation with an attractive stranger, you might observe that it’s raining outside (but hopefully you’ll come up with something more interesting to say). Observe has several secondary meanings, one of which is “notice” or “discover.” If you start a conversation with that attractive stranger, you’ll probably observe whether he or she seems interested in talking to you. Observe can also mean “watch carefully with great interest”; you might be tempted to observe the attractive stranger in this manner, but that might make him or her uncomfortable. Try to stay cool.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing observe

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Memorial Day Words

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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:

observe observes observed observing

By learning to observe and manipulate these tiny magnetic vortices in real time, scientists are gaining capabilities that could eventually help reshape the design of computers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

Seek ye a picture on the internet: You will observe the RS 5’s wheels most certainly extend to the wheel wells, if not a little bit more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

BBC Sport was invited along to a qualification event at a gym in Southampton to observe runners logging their times on the global virtual leaderboard.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

It will also observe the planet's other moon, Deimos, although it will not land on it.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

Very likely some Mrs. Grundy will observe, “I don’t believe it, boys will be boys, young men must sow their wild oats, and women must not expect miracles.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

To investigate Masaya's underground activity, the researchers analyzed measurements collected by the Sentinel-1 satellite, which observes the volcano approximately once every 12 days.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

“These responses are necessarily assumptions,” observes economist Jeffrey L. Hoopes of the University of North Carolina.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Alito is especially skilled in bringing together five justices for a majority on some of the Court’s most difficult and contentious issues,” she observes.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

F1 pulls it off by constructing a bubble where almost everyone observes the fiction that they are still in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

“You’re like a mad scientist,” my mother observes.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

In the trained rats, the cardiovascular nerve cluster on the right contained roughly four times as many neurons as the cluster on the left, a striking difference from the pattern observed in untrained rats.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

In a 2019 interview with Anderson Cooper, she observed, “He denies. He turns it around. He threatens, and he attacks.”

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

At the land border with Benin, health forms were generic, asking about fevers but not mentioning Ebola and without temperature checks, an AFP reporter observed.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

Water levels in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties could reach 7.5 to 8 feet, or even higher, above baseline, which is defined as the average low-water level observed between 1983 and 2001.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

I observed a group of laborers with screwdrivers & other tools removing some of the plates on the hull of The Dessoug.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

In 2005, as Northern Ireland's peace process was being cemented, the group was observing a ceasefire.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

He wrote in a May 1949 letter that his wife and another unnamed individual “reported observing six objects over Catalina Island on the night of April 28, 1949,” according to the files released Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

That approach involves observing large numbers of galaxies and extrapolating the results to determine how much helium existed before later generations of stars altered their chemical composition.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

But it’s also worth observing: He may be completely honest about how he has zero interest in running for president next year.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026

During those weeks of waiting, Derek and I twice visited Gombe to try to encourage the Tanzanian field staff who were carrying on with observing the chimpanzees.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023