celebration

[ sel-uh-brey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of celebrating:

   We want to do something special in celebration of Amy’s great new job.

2. a party or other festive event for celebrating something:

   Don’t you think the birthday celebrations for preschoolers in this neighborhood are a bit over the top?

Other Words From

• in·ter·cel·e·bra·tion noun
• non·cel·e·bra·tion noun
• pre·cel·e·bra·tion noun
• re·cel·e·bra·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of celebration¹

First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin celebrātiōn- (stem of celebrātiō ) “large gathering, widespread use, celebration (of a festival)”; celebrate, -ion

Example Sentences

This project was a celebration of “Achtung Baby,” so we’re anxious to do something that’s about new work.

From Los Angeles Times

The online nature of the world post-2020, coupled with the difficulty in raising sponsorship funds for a discovery-focused game event, has put most of IndieCade’s offerings, including its annual awards, on the web, but the party-focused celebration that is Night Games has endured.

From Los Angeles Times

ET/PT, following a one-hour preshow celebration.

From Los Angeles Times

The 18-time Latin Grammy winner and two-time Grammy winner will be honored at a gala leading up to the Thursday awards celebration.

From Los Angeles Times

Let’s stop right here in our celebration of Veterans Day and discuss this wholly invented and utterly bogus issue of the “woke” military.

From Salon

Related Words

• anniversary
• bash
• birthday
• ceremony
• festival
• festivity
• gala
• jubilee
• observance
• party
• performance
• spree
• triumph