| 1. | the formal activities conducted on some solemn or important public or state occasion: the coronation ceremony. |
| 2. | a formal religious or sacred observance; a solemn rite: a marriage ceremony. |
| 3. | formal observances or gestures collectively; ceremonial observances: The breathless messenger had no time for ceremony. |
| 4. | any formal act or observance, esp. a meaningless one: His low bow was mere ceremony. |
| 5. | a gesture or act of politeness or civility: the ceremony of a handshake. |
| 6. | strict adherence to conventional forms; formality: to leave a room without ceremony. |
| 7. | stand on ceremony, to behave in a formal or ceremonious manner. |
