ceremony
Americannoun
-
the formal activities conducted on some solemn or important public or state occasion.
the coronation ceremony.
-
a formal religious or sacred observance; a solemn rite.
a marriage ceremony.
-
formal observances or gestures collectively; ceremonial observances.
The breathless messenger had no time for ceremony.
-
any formal act or observance, especially a meaningless one.
His low bow was mere ceremony.
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a gesture or act of politeness or civility.
the ceremony of a handshake.
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strict adherence to conventional forms; formality.
to leave a room without ceremony.
idioms
noun
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a formal act or ritual, often set by custom or tradition, performed in observation of an event or anniversary
a ceremony commemorating Shakespeare's birth
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a religious rite or series of rites
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a courteous gesture or act
the ceremony of toasting the Queen
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ceremonial observances or gestures collectively
the ceremony of a monarchy
-
to insist on or act with excessive formality
-
in a casual or informal manner
Synonym Usage
Ceremony, rite, ritual refer to set observances and acts traditional in religious services or on public occasions. Ceremony applies to more or less formal dignified acts on religious or public occasions: a marriage ceremony; an inaugural ceremony. A rite is an established, prescribed, or customary form of religious or other solemn practice: the rite of baptism. Ritual refers to the form of conducting worship or to a code of ceremonies in general: Masonic rituals.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ceremony
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ceremonie, from Medieval Latin cēremōnia, from Latin caerimōnia “sacred rite”; replacing Middle English cerymonye, from Middle French cerimonie, from Latin, as above
Explanation
A ceremony is a formal event held on special occasions such as weddings and graduations. Even if an occasion isn’t traditionally honored with a ceremony, you can hold one anyway; we know your cat’s third birthday is important. Ceremony can also refer to proper, formal behavior; someone who insists on behaving properly can be said to “stand on ceremony.” If you insist on standing up and shaking hands every time you’re introduced to someone, you're a person who stands on ceremony. If you prefer to sit back and offer a casual “Hey,” you're a person who acts “without ceremony.”
Vocabulary lists containing ceremony
Olympics Vocabulary for Champions
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A Graduation Lexicon
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Inside Out & Back Again
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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:
After being performed at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, the modern synthwave hit became the most Shazamed song in a single day of the music identifying app's history.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The Sparks paid homage to DeLisha Milton-Jones by retiring her No. 8 jersey in an emotional halftime ceremony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The observances began with a solemn ceremony attended by congressional colleagues and JD Vance in the Capitol Rotunda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Members of Trump's cabinet, South Carolina lawmakers and other guests also assembled for the ceremony, and to listen to tributes to Graham's military service and more than three decades in Congress after humble beginnings.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
At the closing ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Piatigorsky posed for a photograph with Spassky on one side and Fischer on the other.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Tuesday’s memorial ceremonies for Sen. Lindsey Graham were a rare moment of amity in today’s bitter politics of Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Tyson lent his name to the academy for $1 a year, has appeared at ceremonies for the school and given motivational speeches to students.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
The superintendent himself served as the master of ceremonies, with performers weaving around him, cameos by celebrities, and slide projections and film sequences appearing on cue to supplement his applause and laugh lines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Men and women may have been selected for different ceremonies, with their roles determined by the purpose of the ritual and the location where it took place.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
They performed at the chief’s request at funerals and initiation ceremonies, when many Chewa boys become men.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
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.
