Dictionary

celebrate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈsel.ə.bɹæɪt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˈsɛl.ə.bɹeɪt/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈsɛl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English celebraten, from celebrat(e) (“celebrated”, also used as the past participle of celebraten) + -en, borrowed from Latin celebrātus, perfect passive participle of celebrō (“frequent, go to in great numbers, celebrate, honor, praise”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from celeber (“frequented, populous”). Displaced native Old English fæġnian and frēolsian.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To extol or honour in a solemn manner.
   • To celebrate the centenary next month of the opening of the first section (Forest Gate to Tilbury) of the former London, Tilbury & Southend Railway, the Stephenson Locomotive Society is organising a special rail tour over that route and other lesser-known L.T.S.R. lines. 1954 March, “Notes and News: S.L.S. Tour of Tilbury Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 215:
   • Okay, that is simply not true. If that were the case, you wouldn’t need to have an Olympics. The whole reason we do this is to find out who is better than everyone else, so that we can make them stand higher than the other people who are not as good as them, because the point of the games is not to celebrate equality. It is to celebrate individuals’ excellence. So let us all settle in for two incredible weeks of celebrating the fittest, the bravest, the most beautiful and of course, the drunkest of us all. “Did somebody say ‘party’?” 2016 August 7, “Journalism”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 20, John Oliver (actor), via HBO:
   • to celebrate the name of the Most High
   • Instead, we retreat into our gender-segregated media spaces where the manosphere extols stoicism and the womanosphere celebrates emotional vulnerability. 2024 April 17, David Sasaki, “The emotionally immature lives of men and women”, in The Time Capsule, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2024:
2. (transitive) To honour by rites, by ceremonies of joy and respect, or by refraining from ordinary business; to observe duly.
   • to celebrate a birthday
   • Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli. 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
3. (intransitive, transitive) To engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event.
   • As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy. 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2022:
   • I was promoted today at work—let’s celebrate!
4. (transitive) To perform or participate in, as a sacrament or solemn rite; to perform with appropriate rites.
   • to celebrate a marriage

Forms

Deriveds

recelebrate · celebrate one's 19th birthday in Poland · concelebrate · over-celebrate · precelebrate · overcelebrate · celebratable · celebrating Palm Sunday

Relateds

celebrant · celebrity · celebrator · celebration · celebrated · celebrative · celebratory

Synonyms

observe · keep · fete · solemnize

Translations (161)

el γιορτάζω (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · cmn 慶祝 /庆祝 (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ga ceiliúir (perform or participate in) · as পাল (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · fr rendre hommage (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · la faciō (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · pl celebrować (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · uk святкува́ти (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · it festeggiare (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · cs slavit (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fr faire la fête (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ko 축하하다 (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · mi hari (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ru отпра́здновать (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · tr kutlamak (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ru че́ствовать (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · it celebrare (perform or participate in) · qu kusikuy (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · be адсвяткава́ць (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ru отпра́здновать (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · la celebrō (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ca celebrar (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · pt celebrar (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · it celebrare (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · uk сла́вити (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · el γιορτάζω (perform or participate in) · la celebrō (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fa جشن گرفتن (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · sh slaviti (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · uk відсвяткува́ти (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ga ceiliúir (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · hy տոնել (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · he חגג (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · oc celebrar (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · id merayakan (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fi juhlia (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · nl vieren (perform or participate in) · id merayakan (perform or participate in) · wa fiesti (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ro celebra (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ml ആഘോഷിക്കുക (perform or participate in) · bg че́ствам (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fi ylistää (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · hu celebrál (perform or participate in) · ar اِحْتَفَلَ (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · vi mừng (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · uk прославля́ти (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · bg просла́вям (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ml ആഘോഷിക്കുക (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · eo festi (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ru пра́здновать (perform or participate in) · de feiern (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · be святкава́ць (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · eo celebri (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · fr fêter (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · sh славити (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · pt celebrar (perform or participate in) · fr célébrer (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · grc ποιέω (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fr célébrer (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · kk мерекелеу (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · mi whakahari (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · da prise (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · el γιορτάζω (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · de feiern (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · cmn 慶祝 /庆祝 (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · nl vieren (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · bg празну́вам (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · fi juhlia (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · pl obchodzić (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · da feste (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · pl celebrować (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · got 𐌳𐌿𐌻𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · gl celebrar (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ml ആഘോഷിക്കുക (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · es celebrar (perform or participate in) · pt celebrar (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fr célébrer (perform or participate in) · pt festejar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · cmn 頌揚 /颂扬 (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · uk святкува́ти (perform or participate in) · scn fistijari (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · be праслаўля́ць (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ru пра́здновать (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · de feiern (perform or participate in) · id rayakan (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · es honrar (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ro sărbători (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · es loar (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · de halten (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · es festejar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ko 축하하다 (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · he חגג (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ca celebrar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · pl uczcić (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · it celebrare (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ca celebrar (perform or participate in) · es celebrar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ta கொண்டாடு (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · tr tesit etmek (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · de zelebrieren (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · pl wychwalać (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · kk мерекелеу (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · nl vieren (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · as পালন কৰ (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · pt celebrar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ru просла́вить (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · bg ознамену́вам (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · es alabar (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · sv fira (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · vi kỷ niệm (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · de zelebrieren (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · uk відсвяткува́ти (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · pl fetować (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · be прасла́віць (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · mi whakanui (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · el γιορτάζω (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · bg просла́вя (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · as পালন কৰ (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · sv fira (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ru че́ствовать (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · cmn 慶賀 /庆贺 (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · uk посвяткува́ти (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · tr kutlamak (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · ja 祝う (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · de feiern (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · as পাল (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ga ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · fi juhlia (perform or participate in) · izh pittää (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · uk святкува́ти (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · hu ünnepel (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · oc celebrar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · gl festexar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · de zelebrieren (perform or participate in) · da højtideligholde (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ru прославля́ть (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · pl oblać (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ru пра́здновать (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ta கொண்டாடு (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · gl celebrar (perform or participate in) · gl celebrar (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · pl świętować (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · it festeggiare (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · uk просла́вити (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · es celebrar (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · uk посвяткува́ти (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ar اِحْتَفَلَ (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ta கொண்டாடு (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · izh veettää (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · pl sławić (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · fr fêter (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ro celebra (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · gl celebrar (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · ro sărbători (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · mi whakanui (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · da fejre (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · rup sãrbãturescu (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.) · ja 祝う (to engage in joyful activity in appreciation of an event) · id merayakan (extol or honour in a solemn manner) · izh veettää (honour by rites, ceremonies, etc.)