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as in to celebrate
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word observe different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of observe are celebrate, commemorate, and keep. While all these words mean "to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed," observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

not all holidays are observed nationally

When is celebrate a more appropriate choice than observe?

The meanings of celebrate and observe largely overlap; however, celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

When is it sensible to use commemorate instead of observe?

Although the words commemorate and observe have much in common, commemorate suggests that an occasion is marked by observances that remind one of the origin and significance of the event.

commemorate Memorial Day with the laying of wreaths

When could keep be used to replace observe?

While the synonyms keep and observe are close in meaning, keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of observe In total, Gifford has trained around 50 people who have been observing at early polling locations across Nevada. David Gilbert, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024 While Election Day is not a federal holiday, some states do observe it as a holiday. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024 Most recently, Taurasi has been involved in an awareness campaign for Eczema Awareness Month, which is also observed in October. Andy Frye, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Poll watchers are appointed to observe an election without disrupting the process or violating laws regarding voter privacy, per the U.S Election Assistance Commission. April Rubin, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for observe 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observe
Verb
  • Pence did an important thing, obeying the Constitution rather than Trump.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Coy said that Hill only partially obeyed his commands and was hiding his right hand.
    CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Nelson Agholor #15 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates his touchdown reception against the Cincinnati Bengals with Mark Andrews #89 during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium, in Baltimore, on Thursday.
    NBC News, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
  • This year, Toyota showcased an impressive set of 10 concept cars to celebrate the two pillars of adventure and performance.
    Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Suspecting that the bear in question was in fact not a bear at all, detectives asked a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist to watch the videos and weigh in.
    Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Loading your audio article Of all the overseas leaders avidly watching the U.S. election results, the two happiest were probably Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
    Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • In a common method, participants reflect on their own death, while control groups consider less threatening topics, like dental pain.
    Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
  • That figure is reflected among all age groups, though 94% of Black voters above the age of 60 voted for Harris.
    Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Diners will soon notice new lighting at the restaurants and new music as part of Adamolekun’s efforts to attract younger customers who might have grown up going to the chain but haven’t been back for some time.
    CNN.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • Some Mail users may notice that the change has already been implemented, and clicking on Mail will open the new Outlook app instead.
    Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • During the rapprochement between China and the United States in the 1970s (which followed the split between China and the Soviet Union), North Korea hosted Soviet naval ships in its ports and allowed Soviet fighter jets to enter North Korean airspace.
    Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Bucky Irving opened the fourth quarter with a 14-yard run on third-and-2, then followed that with a 12-yard touchdown dash past six defenders for the Bucs’ first lead of the game, 17-13.
    Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • It’s finally slated to open in 2026 to commemorate the nearly 50,000 Greek Jews who were loaded onto cattle trucks in Thessaloniki and transported to Auschwitz during the Nazi occupation of Greece.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024
  • While the reason behind the celebrations may be different, to commemorate the festival, Sikhs will also go to the Gurdwara to pray and meditate, light diyas and set off fireworks.
    Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Alexis couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was watching her, looking at her, eyeing her as the only person in the room when Onyxx died of some unknown cause.
    Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2024
  • King and Rocha are eyeing to replace Michael Barbanica, who is running for county supervisor.
    Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near observe

Cite this Entry

“Observe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observe. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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