commemorate
verb
com·mem·o·rate
kə-ˈme-mə-ˌrāt 
commemorated; commemorating
1
: to call to remembrance
St. Andrew is commemorated on November 30.
2
: to mark by some ceremony or observation : observe
commemorate an anniversary
3
: to serve as a memorial of
a plaque that commemorates the battle
Did you know?
When you remember something, you are mindful of it. It's appropriate, therefore, that commemorate and other related memory-associated words (including memorable, memorial, remember, and memory itself) come from the Latin root memor, meaning "mindful." English speakers have been marking the memory of important events with commemorate since the late 16th century.
Examples of commemorate in a Sentence
The festival commemorates the town's founding.
The plaque commemorates the battle that took place here 200 years ago.
Each year on this date we commemorate our ancestors with a special ceremony.
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s finally slated to open in 2026 to commemorate the nearly 50,000 Greek Jews who were loaded onto cattle trucks in Thessaloniki and transported to Auschwitz during the Nazi occupation of Greece.
—
George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024
While the reason behind the celebrations may be different, to commemorate the festival, Sikhs will also go to the Gurdwara to pray and meditate, light diyas and set off fireworks.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Early 17th century graves at Jamestown are traditionally unmarked, so the discovery of the tombstone — engraved to commemorate a knighthood and once decorated with brass inlays — is rare for this period, Hartley added.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commemorate 
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George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024
While the reason behind the celebrations may be different, to commemorate the festival, Sikhs will also go to the Gurdwara to pray and meditate, light diyas and set off fireworks.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Early 17th century graves at Jamestown are traditionally unmarked, so the discovery of the tombstone — engraved to commemorate a knighthood and once decorated with brass inlays — is rare for this period, Hartley added.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commemorate
Dictionary Entries Near commemorate
Cite this Entry
“Commemorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commemorate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commemorate
verb
com·mem·o·rate
kə-ˈmem-ə-ˌrāt
commemorated; commemorating
1
: to call to remembrance
2
: to mark by a ceremony
3
: to be a memorial of
a plaque that commemorates the event
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