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as in ritual
an oft-repeated action or series of actions performed in accordance with tradition or a set of rules some religions require very specific observances on holy days

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of observance The United States Postal Service is also closed in observance of the holiday, so mail delivery services will be suspended until Tuesday. Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025 United States stock markets will be closed on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 26 May 2025 There’s little controversy over the first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day. Karl Mondon, Mercury News, 25 May 2025 Hoping to squeeze in a shopping trip on Memorial Day in Sacramento? Local businesses will be closing their registers or limiting store hours in observance of Memorial Day in 2025. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for observance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observance
Noun
  • Stop measuring performance only by adherence to KPIs.
    Nono Bokete, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
  • Switching from a daily to a weekly medication regimen would not only simplify care but also enhance patient autonomy and medication adherence, without compromising therapeutic benefits.
    Paul McClure June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2025
Noun
  • When your workday ends, physically close your laptop, turn off work notifications and transition into personal time with intentional rituals.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Different communities worship different icons and have different ways of performing the rituals.
    Foster Klug, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Related Stories As with all of Global Citizen’s efforts that are centered around an entertainment event, the ultimate goal will be to raise awareness and funding for efforts to end extreme poverty around the world.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 9 June 2025
  • Some of the marchers in Aventura on Sunday wore signs of the remaining hostages on their shirts to raise awareness.
    Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • In January, the agency sent Suncor a compliance advisory, which is the first step in an investigation into permit violations, said Kate Malloy, a spokeswoman for the department’s Air Pollution Control Division.
    Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 7 June 2025
  • Locked out of the mainstream, cannabis operators have created platforms to manage everything from online ordering and payments to compliance and logistics.
    Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • Unlike Florida that typically only meets for 60 days, then holds a ceremony signalling the official end of the legislative session, New York does not officially gavel the session closed.
    Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • These psychoactive substances can induce realistic hallucinations, disorientation and alteration of sensorial perception, and were probably used to help people reach other states of mind, connecting them differently or more intensely to nature, each other, or gods in ritual ceremonies.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
Noun
  • The group said that in order to pull attention away from the display of military grandeur, No Kings would specifically not demonstrate in Washington on Saturday, and instead host their largest demonstration in Philadelphia - the city known as the birthplace of America.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 14 June 2025
  • That’s despite its generous 7.9% dividend, which should be getting more attention.
    Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • Each installment was a chance for a new joke, a new observation—about fashion, dating, public restrooms, artistic pretensions, being mistaken for a man—in an era when popular depictions of lesbian experience were rare.
    Charlie Tyson, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
  • Summer is prime time for backyard birdwatching, and Costco has just the thing to elevate your observation game.
    Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • In addition to Ducasse’s culinary mastery, offering a cohesive experience that encompasses the liveried staff in period costumes and the ceremonial is part and parcel of the success of the banquet, according to Révah.
    Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025
  • For those who missed the game, most of the Chiefs’ scores came in garbage time; the lopsided affair was 24-0 at halftime, and the Eagles’ first score was a ceremonial Jalen Hurts Tush Push.
    Jess Bryant, The Athletic, 10 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Observance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observance. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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