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.

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Vocabulary lists containing observe

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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:

observe observes observed observing

Holy relics employed in the proceedings line one wall, another features a one-way mirror that allows family members and novice exorcists to observe.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

With 11 patients on the ward, staffing levels meant a member of staff would have had to observe a patient roughly every 54 seconds.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Areas that already do not observe daylight saving time would be able to stay on permanent standard time, according to the bill text.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

"We're now eagerly waiting to see if a new island is about to be born -- something that we've only rarely been able to observe with satellites as it happens," Garvin said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

"But then I remembered that we gods send omens—we don't observe them."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Szymanski observes that the vast majority of successful footballing nations share another common denominator: wealth.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

"But then we see other countries like Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, and so forth, which are not catching up," Szymanski observes.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

The analyst observes that sentiment has got even worse since the Australia-listed hearing-implant maker downgraded its FY 2026 guidance in April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Scott, at CEF Advisors, observes that Wamco funds have indeed faced an additional problem in the form of fallout from the Leech scandal.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

To solve the theft of Leonardo’s painting, the world needed someone like Leonardo da Vinci himself: someone who observes.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

The phenomena were observed earlier this month thanks to monsoon moisture coming from the south and bringing midlevel clouds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

After spending the early 2000s as an engineer in Silicon Valley, he observed that the memory industry was slowly migrating away from its U.S. origins to Japan, then Korea and Taiwan.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

But when he observed it swirling rapidly rather than spreading out as dry ice would, he dropped his guitar, jumped off stage and started running.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

But the genre also requires action, adventure, enlightenment, struggle, the guest-host relationship observed by the ancients and the supremacy of brains over brawn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

“There are a lot of agave plants,” Nathan observed.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Dean Burnett says embarrassment is the awareness of other people observing you and "could find you lacking"

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

McElwee has often pondered the downside of essentially treating himself like a human camera, observing the world rather than fully engaging in it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Chief Executive He Xiaopeng said the company decided to offer the L03 in both battery-electric and extended-range versions after observing that charging infrastructure remains underdeveloped in many overseas markets, including parts of Mexico and Africa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

An NPR host yesterday opened an interview with a Maine reporter by observing, “A lot going on in your little state.”

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

We might want to say that these virtues and this limit can be summed up in the word ‘objectivity’; but objectivity is a nineteenth-century concept and implies new ways of observing nature and recording information.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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