ENGLISH
REFERENCE

celebrates

v.
A2 Elementary US //ˈsɛɫəˌbɹeɪts// UK //sˈɛləbɹˌeɪts// cel·e·brates

v. to do something special for an important event like a birthday or a holiday. You also use this when you want to show that you admire or praise something publicly.

v. to mark a social occasion or happy event with festivities; to praise or honour something publicly. Transitive in most contexts, though it can be used intransitively to describe the general act of partying.


SIMPLE

The whole family celebrates together every New Year.

CONTEXTUAL

The city celebrates the team's victory with a massive parade through the downtown streets.

COMPLEX

The novel celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, weaving together the stories of three generations of women who survived the war.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive when referring to a specific event or quality, but can be intransitive when referring to the general act of having a party.

Pitfall

We celebrated for his birthdayWe celebrated his birthdayWhen mentioning the specific event, the verb is transitive and does not require the preposition 'for'.

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