v. 1
To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.
She got up before dawn to observe the lunar eclipse.
v. 2
To follow or obey the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion).
Please observe all posted speed limits.
v. 3
To take note of and celebrate (a holiday or similar occurrence), to keep; to follow (a type of time or calendar reckoning).
On Sunday, most of Canada will observe daylight time and spring forward an hour in order to reflect the increasing sunlight.
v. 4
To comment on something; to make an observation.
The senator observed that the bill would be detrimental to his constituents.

Related words

Word family: observance observant observation observational observatory observer

Forms

Past participle: observed
e.g. observed → discovered, seen, noticed, perceived…

Choose the right word

Observe, Keep, Solemnize, Celebrate or Commemorate?

We keep the Sabbath, solemnize a marriage, observe an anniversary; we celebrate or observe the Lord's Supper in which believers commemorate the sufferings and death of Christ.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

notice It'll be impossible to get a visa at short notice.
discover How foolish I was not to discover that simple lie!
examine We dissected a frog to examine its internal organs.
perceive I perceive by your face that you have good news.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
observe		steady
notice		steady
discover		rising
examine		steady
perceive		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: see¹, eye¹
4 letters: find¹, look¹, keep¹, note¹, mark¹, obey², heed¹, twig¹, espy²
5 letters: watch¹, honor²
6 letters: follow², notice², survey², attend², honour², regard², detect², behold², fulfil², descry²
7 letters: respect², comment², mention², witness², examine³, fulfill², discern²
8 letters: consider³, maintain², discover³, perceive²
9 letters: celebrate³, discharge², solemnize, solemnise
11 letters: commemorate⁴, contemplate³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (obey² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: observer
Italiano: osservare
Español: observar
Deutsch: beobachten
Català: observar