celebrate
verb (used with object)
to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities.
were celebrating
-
past progressiveof celebrate.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The attendees were celebrating the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, which announced that it had reached 2 million children with civics education since its founding in 2016.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Little said that the beach was crowded by about 9 a.m. but that visitors were celebrating peacefully.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
On the day of the opening arguments in the Musk-Altman trial, Amazon and OpenAI executives were celebrating an announcement that detailed how AWS customers would be able to use ChatGPT.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
"Beliebers" were celebrating the return of pop superstar Justin Bieber on Saturday, ahead of his return to major stages with a headlining appearance on the second day of the Coachella music festival.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
His father lit the bonfire with great ceremony, announcing they were celebrating a night when magic was let loose upon the world.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
