I. celebrate adjective
Etymology: Middle English celebrat, from Latin celebratus
obsolete : celebrated
II. cel·e·brate -ˌbrāt, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin celebratus, past participle of celebrare to frequent, celebrate, from celebr-, celeber much frequented, famous; akin to Latin celer swift — more at celerity
transitive verb
1. : to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites : solemnize
celebrate the mass
celebrate a marriage
2.
a. : to honor (as a holy day or feast day) by conducting or engaging in religious, commemorative, or other solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business
b. : to demonstrate grateful and happy satisfaction in (as an anniversary or event) by engaging in festivities, indulgence, merrymaking, or other similar deviation from accustomed routine
as though he had had a drink or two — which indeed he might have had in reality, to celebrate the occasion — Joseph Conrad
3. : to proclaim or broadcast for the attention of a wide public
that bloody nationalism which celebrated itself on so large a scale in 1914-1918 — Francis Hackett
4.
a. : to portray with a high valuation and usually in enhanced or poetic form or in exalted interpretation in a way to contribute to public awareness, edification, or enjoyment : hold up or play up for public acclaim or homage : extol , glorify
verses celebrating the personal idiosyncrasy of the Yankee farmer
American fiction had regularly celebrated the American village as the natural home of the pleasant virtues — Carl Van Doren
b. : to commemorate in appreciative interpretation for posterity especially in some literary or art form
his birthplace, celebrated by him in his early poetry — Padraic Colum
the sort of beauty that is celebrated by the heroic male sculptures in the fountains of Rome — Tennessee Williams
intransitive verb
1. : to observe a holiday, perform a religious ceremony, or take part in a festival
in an Eastern liturgy several priests may celebrate together
in the Western mass, the priests celebrate in the Latin fashion
2.
a. : to observe the occasion of an achievement, reunion, anniversary, or other notable occasion with gaiety
b. : to engage in hilarious festivities usually including drinking
Synonyms: see keep