Words / B2

sel-i-BRAYSHUN/ˌselɪˈbreɪʃn/

A celebration is a special event or activity to mark something good: a celebration at the end of term, a celebration of local writers. Party is everyday and more social; ceremony can be formal and solemn. Celebrate is the verb. In celebration of is a set phrase. In speech, a party or we marked it is enough. Do not use celebration for a grim commemoration of a disaster — that is a memorial.

Meaning

A special event or activity to mark something good.

Examples

• “There was a celebration at the end of term.”
• “There was a quiet celebration in the staffroom when the results arrived.”
• “The festival is a celebration of the town’s music, not a trade fair.”

Good to know

An event to mark something good. Verb: celebrate. Everyday: party. Formal: ceremony. Contrast: memorial (solemn, often sad).

Near in meaning

party

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