1
as in follows
to act according to the commands of
you must observe all the rules of this school, not simply the ones that meet with your personal approval
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in celebrates
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony
a time when few people in New England observed Christmas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in watches
to keep one's eyes on
happily spent many hours observing the birds at the backyard feeder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in reflects
to make a statement of one's opinion
"I think you might be mistaken," he observed
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in notices
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
she observed that the weather had changed again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in notes
to take notice of and be guided by
generally observes the suggestions of the experts regarding baby care
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 observes
At one point, Lucy’s very French, somewhat distant mother Eloise (Catherine Deneuve, impactful in her few scenes) observes that Lucy has done the one thing that’s worse for a female artist than having children, and that’s moving to the countryside.
—
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Xu observes that in several cases, individuals who initially led pilot AI projects later transitioned into broader strategic roles as initiatives expanded.
—William Jones, USA Today, 12 May 2026
The French documentary is set inside the country’s prison officer academy, where the film observes trainees as their language, movements and certainties gradually align with the institution around them.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 May 2026
Talen observes in her book that historically, socially mixed neighborhoods emerged from economic necessity.
—Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
From a chair on a Rio sidewalk, a woman observes the passing choreography of Copacabana.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
In Light and Thread, Kang observes that her house is built in the shape of the Korean consonant ㄷ, thus necessitating the use of mirrors to ensure the various fruit trees planted in its courtyard receive sunlight from all sides.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
The family keeps kosher, observes the Sabbath and attends synagogue.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
An artist observes carefully, especially things that go unnoticed — and transforms these observations into meaningful expressions.
—Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Xu observes that in several cases, individuals who initially led pilot AI projects later transitioned into broader strategic roles as initiatives expanded.
—William Jones, USA Today, 12 May 2026
The French documentary is set inside the country’s prison officer academy, where the film observes trainees as their language, movements and certainties gradually align with the institution around them.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 May 2026
Talen observes in her book that historically, socially mixed neighborhoods emerged from economic necessity.
—Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
From a chair on a Rio sidewalk, a woman observes the passing choreography of Copacabana.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
In Light and Thread, Kang observes that her house is built in the shape of the Korean consonant ㄷ, thus necessitating the use of mirrors to ensure the various fruit trees planted in its courtyard receive sunlight from all sides.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
The family keeps kosher, observes the Sabbath and attends synagogue.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
An artist observes carefully, especially things that go unnoticed — and transforms these observations into meaningful expressions.
—Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observes
Verb
-
Baker’s Stanford is a strong candidate, and his book follows in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Wall Street chronicle Liar’s Poker, but with more pimples and less eye contact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Nadal follows the likes of Naomi Osaka, Carlos Alcaraz, Roger Federer and Serena Williams in documenting his career and its end, but he is not listed as a producer on the series.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Ja Rule celebrates his whiskey brand, Amber & Opal, during a special happy hour in New York City.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
The song celebrates coming back together.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
If the person who spoke up sees their truth acknowledged and then watches nothing change, the interaction didn't build safety.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Now 78, Mauldin watches the news and sees videos and pictures of children being tear-gassed again — not by local police in 1965, but by federal immigration officers in 2026.—
Maya Miller,
ProPublica,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Gambling’s prevalence during sports broadcasts reflects its status as an enormous and growing business in America.—
Luke Connors,
Washington Post,
19 May 2026
-
The team concluded the term more accurately reflects the condition’s endocrine, metabolic and reproductive features while helping reduce misunderstanding for patients who have long felt their diagnosis was minimized.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Just to make things even messier and more over-plotted, Sylvie notices a light on for five days straight in an upper-floor apartment, reporting to the cops her concern that the old man who lives there might have died.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
If the bear is sitting at a distance, feeding or walking by and notices you but continues its natural behavior, do not take any action.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Lauren McCormick of Squaremouth notes that many people only consider travel insurance for flights or cruises.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
The recovery in achievement rates in the highest poverty districts, the report notes, seems to largely be due to federal relief funds given to state and local governments that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Shotwell aims to keep clear of geo-political debate—seeing to it that SpaceX obeys the laws and regulations of countries in which Starlink is licensed to operate, and sidestepping blame in places it’s forbidden but is being used anyway.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
28 Mar. 2026
-
That orange line above is the rising 50-day and this name clearly obeys it.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The march commemorates what Israel calls Jerusalem Day, marking Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Middle East War.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Haiti Heritage month, flag day The festival intentionally coincides with Haitian Flag Day on May 18, which commemorates the creation of the Haitian flag during the fight for independence from France.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Observes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observes. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
