celebration
Americannoun
-
the act of celebrating.
We want to do something special in celebration of Amy’s great new job.
-
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of celebration
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin celebrātiōn- (stem of celebrātiō ) “large gathering, widespread use, celebration (of a festival)”; see celebrate, -ion
Explanation
A celebration is a joyful diversion. Your math class might have a celebration when you learn that the midterm has been postponed for a week. A celebration can be a festive party commemorating some joyous occasion, like your grandparents' fiftieth anniversary celebration or your brother's birthday celebration. It can also be a less formal marking of a happy event, like the arrival of your new puppy. Another meaning of celebration is a religious ceremony, such as communion or a bar mitzvah.
Vocabulary lists containing celebration
Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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Passover Vocabulary
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List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As performed by Price, Baez and Memphis Mariachi, their version of “Deportee” manages to be everything: a lament, a celebration of the lives lost, a tribute, a reminder.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
SpaceX investors have swung from celebration to apparent concern in its first month as a publicly traded company.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Yet even this celebration unfolds under the shadow of the conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
England had requested a pair of songs for post-game celebration: “Three Lions,” which was written for the team in the 1990s, and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
It means a season of celebration, and that's how me and your daddy felt, like dancing and raising our hands up thanking God for giving us you.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Instead of capping raucous Bastille Day celebrations in France with a trip to the World Cup final, Deschamps and his squad will travel to Miami to play in the third-place game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Those words echoed as celebrations unfolded before unprecedented crowds.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The fires are lit every year as part of celebrations in some unionist areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
"I'll do everything in my power to ensure this is a new beginning for Egyptian football on the international stage," Salah wrote on social media during the celebrations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
When the curtain descends on this current wave of attention and the thematic celebrations cool down, my sisters and I will remain proud.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
