commemorate

verb com·mem·o·rate \ kə-ˈme-mə-ˌrāt \

|Updated on: 4 Jul 2018

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Examples: commemorate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of commemorate

commemorated; commemorating

transitive verb

1 : to call to remembrance

St. Andrew is commemorated on November 30.

2 : to mark by some ceremony or observation : observe

commemorate an anniversary

3 : to serve as a memorial of

a plaque that commemorates the battle

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commemorator

play \kə-ˈme-mə-ˌrā-tər\ noun

See commemorate defined for English-language learners

See commemorate defined for kids

commemorate was our Word of the Day on 06/12/2012. Hear the podcast!

Examples of commemorate in a Sentence

The festival commemorates the town's founding.
The plaque commemorates the battle that took place here 200 years ago.
Each year on this date we commemorate our ancestors with a special ceremony.

Recent Examples of commemorate from the Web

In 1837, the Homewood property was sold to wealthy Baltimore merchant William Wyman, whose name is commemorated in Wyman Park.

— Washington Post, "Documenting the slave trade past of Baltimore, and Homewood," 28 June 2018
But in the end, nationalism also constrained the family loyalties of the continent’s monarchs, who could or would not save their Russian relatives from murder—the centenary of which will be commemorated in Russia next month.

— The Economist, "How the royal houses of Europe abandoned the Romanovs," 28 June 2018
In 1837, the Homewood property was sold to wealthy Baltimore merchant William Wyman, whose name is commemorated in Wyman Park.

— jacques kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Documenting the slave trade past of Baltimore, and Homewood," 23 June 2018
Here’s my idea: The winners can be commemorated around the base with country flags.

— charles curtis, For The Win, "The World Cup trophy is the worst in sports. Here's how to redesign it.," 14 June 2018
Decorations honoring holidays and special events like sports playoffs will be commemorated in that spot.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "$150 million hotel and condo tower planned for East Downtown," 1 June 2018
The holiday is commemorated on Monday, May 28, this year.

— weldon b. johnson, azcentral, "Memorial Day weekend 2018 events in Phoenix, around Arizona," 15 May 2018
The presence of the statue in an educational exhibit, as opposed to a place of honor, underlines that Davis, as well as his ideas and actions, are no longer commemorated by the university, said exhibit curator Ben Wright.

— Smithsonian, "Are Museums the Right Home for Confederate Monuments?," 7 May 2018
Baseball legends and civil rights icons will be forever commemorated at Orlando’s freshly minted Tinker Field History Plaza along Tampa Avenue.

— ryan gillespie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Tinker Field History Plaza memorializes civil rights and baseball in Orlando," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commemorate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

When you remember something, you are mindful of it. It's appropriate, therefore, that "commemorate" and other related memory-associated words (including "memorable," "memorial," "remember," and "memory" itself) come from the Latin root memor, meaning "mindful." Some distant older relatives are Old English "gemimor" ("well-known"), Greek mermēra ("care"), and Sanskrit "smarati" ("he remembers"). English speakers have been marking the memory of important events with "commemorate" since the late 16th century.

Origin and Etymology of commemorate

Latin commemoratus, past participle of commemorare, from com- + memorare to remind of, from memor mindful — more at memory

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

commemorate Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of commemorate

keep, observe, celebrate, commemorate mean to notice or honor a day, occasion, or deed. keep stresses the idea of not neglecting or violating.

- kept the Sabbath by refraining from work

observe suggests marking the occasion by ceremonious performance.

- not all holidays are observed nationally

celebrate suggests acknowledging an occasion by festivity.

- traditionally celebrates Thanksgiving with a huge dinner

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

COMMEMORATE Defined for English Language Learners

commemorate

verb

Definition of commemorate for English Language Learners

: to exist or be done in order to remind people of (an important event or person from the past)
: to do something special in order to remember and honor (an important event or person from the past)