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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

observe.

To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/əbˈzɜːv/Received-Pronunciation/ɒbˈzɜːv/Received-Pronunciation, rare/əbˈzɝv/Canada, General-American

  1. To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.

    transitive
    From this vantage point we can observe the behavior of the animals in their natural habitat.
    She got up before dawn to observe the lunar eclipse.

  2. To follow or obey the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion).

    transitive
    Please observe all posted speed limits.

  3. To take note of and celebrate (a holiday or similar occurrence), to keep; to follow (a type of time or calendar reckoning).

    transitive

  4. To comment on something; to make an observation.

    intransitive
    The senator observed that the bill would be detrimental to his constituents.
Where this word comes from

From Middle French observer, from Old French observer, from Latin observō (“to watch”), from ob- (“before”) + servō (“to keep”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to guard”). Cognate with Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐍂𐍅𐌰 (sarwa, “weapons, armour”), Old English searu (“device”).

noun/əbˈzɜːv/Received-Pronunciation/ɒbˈzɜːv/Received-Pronunciation, rare/əbˈzɝv/Canada, General-American

  1. An observation (remark, comment or judgement).

    archaic
Where this word comes from

From Middle French observer, from Old French observer, from Latin observō (“to watch”), from ob- (“before”) + servō (“to keep”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to guard”). Cognate with Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐍂𐍅𐌰 (sarwa, “weapons, armour”), Old English searu (“device”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.