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[ noun ] a formal event performed on a special occasion
Synonyms Examples "a ceremony commemorating Pearl Harbor" Used in print (The New York Times,...)At a ceremony in the reception_room of Mayor_Richardson_Dilworth , the Eagles were honored for winning the championship . A crowd of 1400 is expected for the ceremonies , which will be followed by the show in which the writers will lampoon baseball personalities in skit , dance and song . (St. Louis Post-Dispatch,...)`` You often hear people talk_about team_spirit and that sort of thing '' , Benington said in a conversation after the ceremonies , `` but what this team had was a_little different . (Nathan Rapport, ""I've Been Here before!"...)One day when he attended a war memorial ceremony in Westminster_Abbey his view was obstructed by a stout man on his left , his attention turned to the irregular pattern of the rough slab flooring and someone , clasping him by the arm , whispered , `` I want a word with you , please '' . (Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)It is curious that even centuries of repetition of the yearly cycle did not induce a sufficient degree of confidence to allow people to abandon the ceremonies of the winter_solstice . |
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[ noun ] any activity that is performed in an especially solemn elaborate or formal way
Examples "the ceremony of smelling the cork and tasting the wine" "he makes a ceremony of addressing his golf ball" "he disposed of it without ceremony" Used in print (E. Lucas Myers, "The Vindication of Dr. Nestor,"...)`` Comment '' ? ejaculated the surprised woman , looking at Alex for an explanation but he , parting from her without ceremony , only offered a_few words about the doctor 's provincial American speech and a state of nerves brought_on by the demands of his work . |
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[ noun ] the proper or conventional behavior on some solemn occasion
Examples "an inaugural ceremony" Used in print (Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)We perform elaborate international exhortations and ceremonies with virtually no understanding of social cause and effect . (Evan Esar, Humorous English; a guide to comic ,...)A news item described the launching of a ship : `` Completing the ceremony , the beautiful movie_star smashed a bottle of champagne over her stern as she slid gracefully down the ways into the sea '' . |
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