ceremony
noun
cer·e·mo·ny
ˈser-ə-ˌmō-nē 
ˈse-rə-
plural ceremonies
1
: a formal act or series of acts prescribed by ritual, protocol, or convention
the marriage ceremony
2
a
: a conventional act of politeness or etiquette
the ceremony of introduction
b
: an action performed only formally with no deep significance
the custom had probably been long a mere ceremony—
C. Thirlwall
C. Thirlwall
c
: a routine action performed with elaborate pomp
Liz Claiborne Inc. chief executive officer William McComb and Liz Claiborne New York creative director Isaac Mizrahi rang the closing bell [of the New York Stock Exchange], a daily ceremony they followed with the first-ever fashion show on the trading floor.—Marc Karimzadeh
Marc Karimzadeh3
a
: prescribed procedures : usages
the ceremony attending an inauguration
b
: observance of an established code of civility or politeness
opened the door without ceremony and strode in
Synonyms
Examples of ceremony in a Sentence
There will be a ceremony honoring the town's veterans next week.
With great ceremony, the children presented each of the visitors with a gift.
He told them abruptly and without ceremony that they would have to leave.
Recent Examples on the Web
Last year’s ceremony — which also benefitted from an NFL doubleheader lead-in, and was hosted by, um, Jo Koy — drew 9.4 million viewers, which marked a 50 percent surge vs. Jerrod Carmichael in 2023.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025
New Heights, hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, took home the prize of podcast of the year at the 2024 ceremony.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Jan. 2025
Winners will be revealed February 21 at the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors ceremonies and February 22 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
Lopez filed for divorce exactly two years after the Georgia ceremony, listing April 26, as their date of separation and citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ceremony 
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Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025
New Heights, hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, took home the prize of podcast of the year at the 2024 ceremony.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Jan. 2025
Winners will be revealed February 21 at the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors ceremonies and February 22 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
Lopez filed for divorce exactly two years after the Georgia ceremony, listing April 26, as their date of separation and citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ceremony
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Dictionary Entries Near ceremony
Cite this Entry
“Ceremony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceremony. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ceremony
noun
cer·e·mo·ny
ˈser-ə-ˌmō-nē
plural ceremonies
1
: a formal act or series of acts performed in some regular way according to fixed rules
graduation ceremonies
2
: very polite behavior : formality
dined without ceremony
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