celebration

[ sel-uh-brey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for celebration on Thesaurus.com
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?

Origin of celebration

1
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin celebrātiōn- (stem of celebrātiō ) “large gathering, widespread use, celebration (of a festival)”; see celebrate, -ion

Other words from celebration

  • 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use celebration in a sentence

  • The repetition of her festival may possibly point to separate celebrations of the communities of Palatine and Quirinal.

  • It was about ten years before the Civil War that “set pieces” began to form a part of fireworks celebrations.

  • The Fords had motored her up to town to see the celebrations and to go to a ball at one of the big hotels that night.

    Happy House | Betsey Riddle, Freifrau von Hutten zum Stolzenberg
  • To outvie one another in celebrations of births, weddings, deaths and coronations they beggar themselves.

    The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath
  • The festival was peculiar to the Athenians, but among them persons of all ages and both sexes took part in the celebrations.