ceremony Hear it!

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ceremony definition

cer·emony (ser′ə mō′nē; chiefly Brit, -mə nē)

noun pl. ceremonies -·nies

  1. a formal act or set of formal acts established by custom or authority as proper to a special occasion, such as a wedding, religious rite, etc.
  2. the service or function at which such acts are performed
  3. a conventionally courteous or polite act
  4. behavior that follows rigid etiquette or a prescribed form
    1. formality or formalities
    2. empty or meaningless formality, or an act suggesting this

Etymology: ME cerimonie < L caerimonia, awe, reverent rite, ceremony; prob. < Etr

ceremony Idioms

stand on ceremony

to behave with or insist on formality

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms ceremony idiom

ceremony Synonyms

ceremony

n.

  1. A public event

    function, commemoration, services; see celebration 1, 2.

  2. A formal act

    ritual, rite, observance, service, solemnity, formality, ceremonial, custom, tradition, liturgy, ordinance, sacrament, liturgical practice, protocol, etiquette, politeness, decorum, propriety, preciseness, strictness, nicety, formalism, ceremoniousness, convention, conventionality, usage, prescription, incantation, mummery.

ceremony refers to a formal, usually solemn, act established as proper to some religious or state occasion the ceremony of launching a ship; rite refers to the prescribed form for a religious ceremony or procedure burial rites; ritual refers to rites or ceremonies collectively, esp. to the rites of a particular religion the ritual of voodooism, and in extended use is applied to a regularly repeated act or series of acts performed in a set, ceremonial manner bedtime rituals; formality suggests a conventional, often meaningless, act or custom, usually one associated with social activity the formalities of polite conversation

stand on ceremony

follow protocol, follow etiquette, be formal, observe formalities, insist on formality, insist on etiquette, be ceremonious; see also behave 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

ceremony Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • sacrament: Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage This Ceremony consists of several key parts.

Converse of object

  • glitter: Around 750 people attended the glittering ceremony on Monday May 10.

Preposition: at

  • Guildhall: On 9th April 2005, The Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles were married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor.

Adjective modifier

  • civil: In which case for the marriage to be valid a civil ceremony is required prior to the religious ceremony.

Noun used with modifier

  • graduation: The graduation ceremony took place on Fidel Castro's birthday.
ceremony usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

ceremony quotes

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.

-James, Henry

Surelyarchitecture is the organization for pleasure of enclosed space. And what more magnificent enclosure than a town, a place, a place where the spirit is cuddled, made serene, made proud, happy, or excited depending on the ceremony, the day, the hour.

-Johnson, Philip Cortelyou

A man of your head and hair should owe more to that reverend ceremony, and not mountthemarriage bed like atown-bull, ora mountain-goat; but stay the dueseason and ascend it then with religion and fear.

-Jonson, Ben

ceremony quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"ceremony." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/ceremony>

APA Style

ceremony. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/ceremony

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