Meaning & use

commemorate

verb·Academic

To honor the memory of a person or event, especially through a ceremony, monument, or celebration.

See it in a sentence

The city built a statue to commemorate the soldiers who died in the war.

Every year the school commemorates its founding with a special assembly.

A note on using this word

"Commemorate" always looks back at something worth remembering; it is not used for ordinary or upcoming events.

Words with a similar meaning

honormemorialize

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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