commemorate

Everyday

1. To commemorate an important event or person is to remember and honour them, often with a ceremony or a special object. tree →
2. A statue, plaque or stamp that commemorates something is made to help people remember it. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons and in everyday life people commemorate wars, heroes and famous events: Remembrance Day commemorates soldiers who died, and churches commemorate saints on their feast days. Phrases: «commemorate the dead», «a plaque to commemorate», «a coin commemorating».

Examples

• We wear poppies to commemorate the soldiers who died in wars. tree →
• A statue was built to commemorate the brave nurse. tree →
• The new stamp commemorates a famous scientist. tree →
• Christians commemorate the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. tree →
• The school planted a tree to commemorate its old head teacher. tree →
• The town holds a parade to commemorate its founding. tree →
• A blue plaque commemorates the writer who lived here. tree →
• Festivals were instituted as seasons of rest, rejoicing, and thanksgiving, and also as anniversaries to commemorate events of national importance. tree →

Note

Regular verb, past «commemorated». Noun: commemoration; adjective: commemorative («a commemorative mug»). Spelling: two m's at the start (comm-), one m in the middle (-mem-). Formal; plain words: remember, honour, mark.