ceremony
Other forms: ceremonies
A ceremony is a formal event held on special occasions such as weddings and graduations. Even if an occasion isn’t traditionally honored with a ceremony, you can hold one anyway; we know your cat’s third birthday is important.
Ceremony can also refer to proper, formal behavior; someone who insists on behaving properly can be said to “stand on ceremony.” If you insist on standing up and shaking hands every time you’re introduced to someone, you're a person who stands on ceremony. If you prefer to sit back and offer a casual “Hey,” you're a person who acts “without ceremony.”
Definitions of ceremony
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a formal event performed on a special occasion“a ceremony commemorating Pearl Harbor”
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synonyms:
ceremonial, ceremonial occasion, observance
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types:
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circumstance
formal ceremony about important occasions
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funeral
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
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hymeneals, nuptials, wedding, wedding ceremony
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
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pageant, pageantry
a rich and spectacular ceremony
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dedication
a ceremony in which something (as a building) is dedicated to some goal or purpose
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opening
a ceremony accompanying the start of some enterprise
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commemoration, memorialisation, memorialization
a ceremony to honor the memory of someone or something
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military ceremony
a formal ceremony performed by military personnel
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induction, initiation, installation
a formal entry into an organization or position or office
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exercise
(usually plural) a ceremony that involves processions and speeches
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fire walking
the ceremony of walking barefoot over hot stones or a bed of embers
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formalities, formality
a requirement of etiquette or custom
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Maundy
a public ceremony on Maundy Thursday when the monarch distributes Maundy money
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potlatch
a ceremonial feast held by some Indians of the northwestern coast of North America (as in celebrating a marriage or a new accession) in which the host gives gifts to tribesmen and others to display his superior wealth (sometimes, formerly, to his own impoverishment)
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inaugural, inauguration
the ceremonial induction into a position
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burial, entombment, inhumation, interment, sepulture
the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave
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sky burial
a traditional Tibetan funeral ritual in which the corpse is exposed to the open air to be eaten by sacred vultures
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rededication
a new dedication
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coronation, enthronement, enthronisation, enthronization, investiture
the ceremony of installing a new monarch
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bar mitzvah
(Judaism) an initiation ceremony marking the 13th birthday of a Jewish boy and signifying the beginning of religious responsibility
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bas mitzvah, bat mitzvah, bath mitzvah
(Judaism) an initiation ceremony marking the 12th birthday of a Jewish girl and signifying the beginning of religious responsibility
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commencement, commencement ceremony, commencement exercise, graduation, graduation exercise
an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred
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type of:
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affair, function, occasion, social function, social occasion
a vaguely specified social event
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any activity that is performed in an especially solemn elaborate or formal way“he makes a ceremony of addressing his golf ball”“he disposed of it without ceremony”
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types:
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chanoyu, tea ceremony
an ancient ritual for preparing and serving and drinking tea
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type of:
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activity
any specific behavior
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chanoyu, tea ceremony
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the proper or conventional behavior on some solemn occasion“an inaugural ceremony”
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types:
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groundbreaking, groundbreaking ceremony
the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project
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purgation, purification
a ceremonial cleansing from defilement or uncleanness by the performance of appropriate rites
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lustrum
a ceremonial purification of the Roman population every five years following the census
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religious ceremony, religious ritual
a ceremony having religious meaning
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military ceremony
a military custom performed in observance of some event or anniversary
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presentation
the activity of formally presenting something (as a prize or reward)
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agape, love feast
a religious meal shared as a sign of love and fellowship
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religious rite, rite
an established ceremony prescribed by a religion
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divine service, religious service, service
the act of public worship following prescribed rules
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sacrament
a formal religious ceremony conferring a specific grace on those who receive it; the two Protestant ceremonies are baptism and the Lord's Supper; in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church there are seven traditional rites accepted as instituted by Jesus: baptism and confirmation and Holy Eucharist and penance and holy orders and matrimony and extreme unction
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confirmation
a ceremony held in the synagogue (usually at Pentecost) to admit as adult members of the Jewish community young men and women who have successfully completed a course of study in Judaism
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sanctification
a religious ceremony in which something is made holy
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Oblation, religious offering
the act of offering the bread and wine of the Eucharist
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inunction, unction
anointing as part of a religious ceremony or healing ritual
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libation
the act of pouring a liquid offering (especially wine) as a religious ceremony
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Mass, mass
(Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
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type of:
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activity
any specific behavior
Pronunciation
US
/ˌsɛrəˈmoʊni/
UK
/ˈsɛrɛməʊni/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ceremony'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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