celebration

celebration — noun

1. a planned event where people come together to mark a happy or important moment b

1.nounB1
Definition

a planned event where people come together to mark a happy or important moment by eating, drinking, dancing, or sharing time with one another

Example

The whole village joined the celebration for the town's 100th birthday.

collocation: join / take part in a celebration

Leila and her classmates organized a small celebration after finishing their final exams.

countable: a/an + celebration

Common collocations
  • hold a celebration
  • organize a celebration
  • family celebration
  • birthday celebration
  • wedding celebration
  • street celebration
Synonyms
  • party

    more casual and smaller in scale; always involves social gathering

  • festival

    larger, often annual or public; implies a series of events

  • gathering

    neutral term; does not necessarily imply happiness or festivity

Antonyms
  • mourning

    opposite emotional context — sadness rather than joy

Grammar Patterns

celebration + of

Usage Note

Commonly appears with 'hold', 'organize', 'throw', or 'plan' as the verb. The preposition 'for' introduces the reason (a celebration for her promotion), while 'of' introduces the occasion (the celebration of New Year).

Common Mistakes

I went to celebration yesterday.
I went to a celebration yesterday.
'celebration' is a countable noun in this sense and needs a determiner.
They held celebration for their anniversary.
They held a celebration for their anniversary.
same reason: missing the article.

2. the process of expressing happiness or respect for a special occasion through ac

2.nounB2
Definition

the process of expressing happiness or respect for a special occasion through actions, words, or customs, rather than through a single planned party or event

Example

The streets were filled with music and dancing in celebration of the national holiday.

pattern: in celebration of [occasion]

A moment of silence was observed in celebration of the community's history and traditions.

Common collocations
  • in celebration of
  • great celebration
  • week of celebration
  • time for celebration
Synonyms
  • rejoicing

    more formal and strong emotional tone; less common in everyday speech

  • merriment

    archaic or literary; suggests light-hearted fun

  • festivity

    similar in meaning; often plural (festivities) in use

Antonyms
  • grief

    deep sadness, the opposite emotional state

Grammar Patterns

in celebration of

Usage Note

This uncountable sense cannot take 'a' or 'an'. It describes celebration as a general concept or atmosphere. Distinguish from sense 1 (SPECIAL EVENT), which refers to a concrete, countable event. Here, 'celebration' behaves like 'joy' or 'happiness' — a mass noun.

Common Mistakes

There was a great celebration when the news arrived.' (if you mean general atmosphere, not a party)
There was great celebration when the news arrived.
use the uncountable form for the general concept of rejoicing.

3. a spontaneous show of happiness, such as cheering, shouting, dancing, or high fi

3.nounB1
Definition

a spontaneous show of happiness, such as cheering, shouting, dancing, or high fives, that people do right after they win, succeed, or receive good news

Example

When the last goal went in, there were celebrations all around the stadium.

plural form: celebrations = instances of cheering

Kofi punched the air in celebration the moment he heard his results.

phrase: in celebration (showing cause)

Common collocations
  • wild celebrations
  • burst into celebrations
  • scenes of celebration
  • celebrations erupted
Synonyms
  • cheering

    focuses specifically on shouting; narrower in scope

  • rejoicing

    more formal and less spontaneous in tone

  • jubilation

    stronger emotion; more literary / formal

Antonyms
  • silence

    absence of noise, the opposite of the outburst described here

Usage Note

Often used in the plural (celebrations) to describe multiple shouts or actions. Unlike sense 1, this does not imply a planned event — it is the immediate, emotional reaction to success. The phrase 'wild celebrations' is a common collocation in sports reporting.

Common Mistakes

We had a celebration when we won the match, with jumping and shouting.' (if you mean the brief reaction, not a party)
There were celebrations when we won the match, with jumping and shouting.
use plural 'celebrations' for the spontaneous outburst.

4. the formal performance of a religious ceremony or sacrament, such as Mass, bapti

4.nounC1
Definition

the formal performance of a religious ceremony or sacrament, such as Mass, baptism, or communion, following the prescribed rituals of a faith tradition

Example

The celebration of Easter Mass drew hundreds of worshippers to the old cathedral.

pattern: celebration of [religious event]

Father Mateo led the celebration of the baptism for three newborn babies.

Common collocations
  • celebration of Mass
  • celebration of baptism
  • lead the celebration
  • Easter celebration
Synonyms
  • observance

    broader — can be religious or secular; more neutral in tone

  • ceremony

    less specific to religion; can be formal events of any kind

  • liturgy

    strictly Christian; refers to the prescribed form of public worship

Grammar Patterns

celebration of [sacrament]

Usage Note

This sense is restricted to religious contexts. The verb 'lead' or 'conduct' is typically used with the clergy as the subject. The object is always a specific sacrament (baptism, Mass, marriage, etc.). Distinguish from sense 1 — this is a ritual, not a social party.

Common Mistakes

The celebration of the wedding lasted three hours at the church.' (unclear whether social or religious)
The celebration of the wedding Mass lasted three hours.
specify the sacrament for clarity.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all refer to people coming together, but they differ in scale and purpose. A 'party' is the most casual and personal — usually a small group of friends or family sharing food and fun, like a birthday party at home. A 'celebration' can be a party too, but it is a broader term that includes formal events such as anniversary dinners or community parades; it always carries a sense of marking something happy or important. A 'festival' is much larger and often public, with multiple events, performances, or cultural activities over several days, such as the Moon Festival or a music festival. A 'gathering' is the most neutral term — it simply means people coming together, without any implication of joy or festivity. For example: 'The class had a small party after the project.' (casual, fun); 'The whole town joined the celebration of the new library.' (formal, occasion-focused); 'Thousands attended the music festival.' (large-scale, multi-event); 'A family gathering can be as simple as a Sunday lunch.' (neutral, no festivity required).

celebration ↗party ↗festival ↗gathering ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • cause for celebration
  • in celebration of
  • worthy of celebration

Prepositions

  • in celebration of
  • for a celebration
  • with celebration

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'celebration' comes from Latin 'celebratio', meaning 'a large crowd' or 'a frequently repeated act of honoring'. The Latin verb 'celebrare' meant 'to crowd around, to honor, to praise'. It entered Middle English from Old French 'celebration', originally used in the religious sense of performing Mass. By the 1500s, it had broadened to include any public honoring of an event. The modern sense of 'having a party' emerged in the mid-1800s.