observe

ob·serve  (b-zûrv)

v. ob·served, ob·serv·ing, ob·serves

v.tr.

1. To be or become aware of, especially through careful and directed attention; notice.

2. To watch attentively: observe a child's behavior.

3. To make a systematic or scientific observation of: observe the orbit of the moon.

4. To say casually; remark.

5. To adhere to or abide by: observe the terms of a contract.

6. To keep or celebrate (a holiday, for example): observe an anniversary.

v.intr.

1. To take notice.

2. To say something; make a comment or remark.

3. To watch or be present without participating actively: We were invited to the conference solely to observe.

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[Middle English observen, to conform to, from Old French observer, from Latin observre, to abide by, watch : ob-, over; see ob- + servre, to keep, watch; see ser-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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ob·serving·ly adv.

Synonyms: observe, keep, celebrate, commemorate, solemnize
These verbs mean to give proper heed to or show proper reverence for something, such as a rule, custom, or holiday. Observe stresses compliance or respectful adherence to that which is prescribed: observe the speed limit; observe the Sabbath.
Keep implies actions such as the discharge of a duty or the fulfillment of a promise: keep one's word; keep personal commitments.
Celebrate emphasizes observance in the form of rejoicing or festivity: a surprise party to celebrate her birthday.
To commemorate is to honor the memory of a past event: a ceremony that commemorated the career of a physician. Solemnize implies dignity and gravity in the celebration of an occasion: solemnized the funeral with a 21-gun salute. See Also Synonyms at see¹.

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observe

Verb

[-serving, -served]

1. to see or notice: after some hours I observed a change in the animal's behaviour

2. to watch (something) carefully

3. to make scientific examinations of

4. to remark: the speaker observed that times had changed

5. to keep (a law or custom) [Latin observare]

observable adj
observer n

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	observe - discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in the paint" detect, discover, notice, find catch out, find out - trap; especially in an error or in a reprehensible act; "He was caught out"; "She was found out when she tried to cash the stolen checks" discover, find - make a discovery, make a new finding; "Roentgen discovered X-rays"; "Physicists believe they found a new elementary particle" sense - detect some circumstance or entity automatically; "This robot can sense the presence of people in the room"; "particle detectors sense ionization" instantiate - find an instance of (a word or particular usage of a word); "The linguists could not instantiate this sense of the noun that he claimed existed in a certain dialect" trace - discover traces of; "She traced the circumstances of her birth" see - observe as if with an eye; "The camera saw the burglary and recorded it" sight, spy - catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes; "he caught sight of the king's men coming over the ridge"
	2.	observe - make mention of; "She observed that his presentation took up too much time"; "They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing" note, remark, mention say, state, tell - express in words; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" comment, point out, remark, notice - make or write a comment on; "he commented the paper of his colleague"
	3.	observe - observe with care or pay close attention to; "Take note of this chemical reaction" take note, note
	4.	observe - watch attentively; "Please observe the reaction of these two chemicals" bird, birdwatch - watch and study birds in their natural habitat watch - look attentively; "watch a basketball game" monitor, supervise - keep tabs on; keep an eye on; keep under surveillance; "we are monitoring the air quality"; "the police monitor the suspect's moves" monitor - check, track, or observe by means of a receiver reconnoiter, reconnoitre, scout - explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody track - observe or plot the moving path of something; "track a missile"
	5.	observe - show respect towards; "honor your parents!" abide by, honor, honour, respect accept - consider or hold as true; "I cannot accept the dogma of this church"; "accept an argument" lionise, lionize, celebrate - assign great social importance to; "The film director was celebrated all over Hollywood"; "The tenor was lionized in Vienna" tolerate - recognize and respect (rights and beliefs of others); "We must tolerate the religions of others"
	6.	observe - behave as expected during of holidays or rites; "Keep the commandments"; "celebrate Christmas"; "Observe Yom Kippur" celebrate, keep commemorate, mark - mark by some ceremony or observation; "The citizens mark the anniversary of the revolution with a march and a parade" mourn - observe the customs of mourning after the death of a loved one solemnise, solemnize - observe or perform with dignity or gravity; "The King solemnized this day of morning"
	7.	observe - follow with the eyes or the mind; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars" keep an eye on, watch over, watch, follow check, check into, check out, check over, check up on, suss out, look into, go over - examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition; "check the brakes"; "Check out the engine" trace, follow - follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress" keep tabs on - keep a record on or watch attentively; "The government keeps tabs on the dissidents" guard - to keep watch over; "there would be men guarding the horses" invigilate, proctor - watch over (students taking an exam, to prevent cheating)
	8.	observe - stick to correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with the metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my employees" keep, maintain
	9.	observe - conform one's action or practice to; "keep appointments"; "she never keeps her promises"; "We kept to the original conditions of the contract" keep make good - act as promised; "make good on promises"

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observe

verb 1. watch, study, view, look at, note, check, regard, survey, monitor, contemplate, check out (informal) look on, keep an eye on (informal) gaze at, pay attention to, keep track of, scrutinize, keep tabs on (informal) recce (slang) keep under observation, watch like a hawk, take a dekko at Brit. (slang)

verb 2. notice, see, note, mark, discover, spot, regard, witness, clock Brit. (slang) distinguish, perceive, detect, discern, behold (archaic), (literary) eye, eyeball (slang) peer at, espy, get a load of (informal)

verb 3. remark, say, comment, state, note, reflect, mention, declare, opine, pass comment, animadvert

verb 4. comply with, keep, follow, mind, respect, perform, carry out, honour, fulfil, discharge, obey, heed, conform to, adhere to, abide by << OPPOSITE disregard

Translations

observe [əbˈzəːv] vt (gen) → observar [+ rule]; cumplir

observe [əbˈzəːv] vt → observer (= remark); faire observer or remarquer

observe [əbˈzəːv] vt (= watch) → beobachten (= notice, comment); bemerken (= abide by) [+ rule etc] → einhalten

observe [əbˈzəːv] vt → osservare

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observe

v observe [əbˈzəːv]

1 to notice I observed her late arrival.opmerk , waarneem, sienيُلاحِظзабелязвамzaznamenatbemærke; lægge mærke tilbemerkenαντιλαμβάνομαι, προσέχωobservar, notartähele panemaمتوجه شدنhavaitaremarquerלְהַבחִיןदेखनाuočitiészreveszmemperhatikantaka eftirnotare～に気がつく알아채다pastebėtiievērotnampakopmerkenlegge merke tilspostrzecreparar ema remarcaзамечатьvšimnúť siopazitiprimetitilägga märke till, uppmärksammaสังเกตfarketmek注意到примічати, помічатиمحوس کرناtheo dõi注意到

2 to watch carefully She observed his actions with interest.waarneem, observeerيُراقِبнаблюдавамpozorovatiagttagebeobachtenπαρατηρώ προσεκτικάobservar, verjälgimaبا توجه نگریستنtarkkaillaobserverלִצפּוֹתअवलोकन करनाpromatrati(meg)figyelmengawasiveita athygliosservare観察する관찰하다stebėti, sektivērot, sekot ar skatienumemperhatikangadeslaaniaktta, observereobserwowaćobservara observa, a urmăriнаблюдать, следитьpozorovaťopazovatiposmatratiiakttaเฝ้าดูgözlemek觀察спостерігати; стежитиمشاہدہ کرناsát sao观察

3 to obey We must observe the rules.nakomيُطيع، يُراعي، يُحافِظ على القَوانينподчинявамzachovávatoverholdebefolgenυπακούω, τηρώcumplir, respetarjärgimaرعایت کردنnoudattaaobserverלְקָייֵםनियमों का पालन करनाslušati, pridržavati sebetartmematuhifylgja, hlÿðaosservare, rispettare従う따르다laikytis, gerbti, švęstiievērot (likumus)mematuhiin acht nemenoverholdeprzestrzegaćacatara res­pectaсоблюдатьzachovávaťdržati sepoštovatiiaktta, följa, efterlevaยินยอมทำตามitaat etmek遵守дотримуватисяاطاعت کرنا، بجالاناtuân theo遵守

4 to make a remark `It's a lovely day', he observed.opmerkيُعَلِّق، يُبْدي مُلاحَظَهотбелязвамpoznamenatbemærkebemerkenσχολιάζω, παρατηρώseñalarmärkimaاظهار کردنhuomauttaafaire observerלְהָעִירअपना मत व्यक्त करनाnapomenutimegjegyezberkomentarsegja, verða að orðiosservare述べる(소견으로서) 말하다pasakyti, pareikštipiezīmēt, piebilstkatanyaopmerkenbemerke, sizauważyćcomentara remarcaзаметитьpoznamenaťpripomnitiopazitikonstateraออกความเห็นsöylemek評述робити зауваженняرائے ديناnhận xét评述

n obˈservance

1 the act of obeying rules etc the observance of the law.eerbiedigingمُراعاة القَوانينсъблюдаванеdodržováníoverholdelsedas Befolgenτήρηση κανόνων, υπακοήobservancia, cumplimientokuulekusرعایتkuuliaisuusobservationלְקָייֵםसामाजिक, धार्मिक, नैतिक रीति पालनpridržavanje, obdržavanjebetartáskepatuhanþað að virða reglurosservanza, rispetto順守(법률 등의) 준수laikymasisievērošanaamalan mematuhinalevingoverholdelseprzestrzeganieobediênciarespectareсоблюдениеdodržiavaniespoštovanjepoštovanjeiakttagande, efterlevnadการปฏิบัติตามitaat遵守，奉行додержанняتعميل، پابنديsự tuân theo遵守，奉行

2 the act of observing (a tradition etc) the observance of religious holidays.viering, nakomingمُحافظَه على التَّقاليد أو الشَّعائِرспазванеzachovávání, slaveníoverholdelsedas Befolgenτήρηση (π.χ. εθίμου)observanciajärgimineبرگزاریviettäminenobservanceשְׁמִירָהविधि, रीति, रिवाज़, रस्म का पालनobdržavanjemegtartásperhatianþað að virða (hefðir)osservanza, rispetto守ること(관례 등에) 따르기šventimasievērošana; svinēšana; atzīmēšanaamalaneerbiediginghelligholdelseobchodzenieobservânciapăstrareпразднованиеslávenieupoštevanjepoštovanjefirandeพิธีกรรมทางศาสนาkutlama慣例，紀念повага, пошанаبجا آوري، تعميلlễ kỷ niệm惯例，纪念

adj obˈservant

quick to notice An observant boy remembered the car's registration number.oplettend, opmerksaamدَقيق المُلاحَظَهнаблюдателpozornýopmærksomaufmerksamπαρατηρητικόςobservadortähelepanelikتیز بینvalpasobservateurבַּעַל עַיִן בּוֹחֶנֶתप्रेक्षकpozoran, pomnjivfigyelmes, jó megfigyelőjeliathugullattento, perspicace注意深い관찰력이 날카로운pastabusvērīgstajam daya pemerhatianoplettendoppmerksom, observantspostrzegawczyatentocu spirit de observaţieнаблюдательныйpozornýki dobro opazuje; pazljivkoji dobro zapažaobservant, uppmärksamช่างสังเกตdikkatli觀察力敏銳的спостережливий; уважнийبيدار دماغ، باريک بيںtinh mắt观察力敏锐的

n ˌobserˈvation [ob-]

1 the act of noticing or watching She is in hospital for observation.waarnemingمُراقَبَهнаблюдениеpozorováníobservationdie Beobachtungπαρατήρηση, παρακολούθησηobservaciónvaatlusمراقبت؛ توجهtarkkailuobservation, surveillanceהִתבּוֹנֵנוּתअवलोकनpromatranjemegfigyeléspenelitianeftirlitosservazione観察관찰stebėjimas, sekimasnovērošanapemerhatianobservatieiakttakelse, observasjonobserwacjaobservaçãoobservaţie, supraveghereнаблюдениеpozorovanieopazovanjeposmatranjeobservation, iakttagelseการสังเกตgözlem觀察спостерігання; наглядمشاہدہsự theo dõi观察

2 a remark. opmerking, aanmerkingمُلاحَظَهзабележкаpostřehbemærkningdie Bemerkungπαρατήρηση, σχόλιοobservación, comentariomärkusاظهار نظرhuomautusobservationהֶעָרָהटिप्पणीnapomena, zapažanjemegjegyzéskomentarathugasemdosservazione発言(관찰에 입각한) 비평, 소견pastabapiezīmekomenopmerkingbemerkninguwagacomentárioobservaţieзамечаниеpostrehpripombaopaskaanmärkning, yttrandeความเห็นsöz評述зауваженняتبصرہlời nhận xét评述

n obˈservatory

a place for observing and studying the stars, weather etc. observatoriumمَرْصَدобсерваторияobservatořobservatoriumdas Observatoriumαστεροσκοπείοobservatorioobservatooriumرصدخانهhavaintoasemaobservatoireמִצפֶּהवेधशालाopservatorij, promatračnicaobszervatóriumobservatorium(stjörnu)athugunarstöðosservatorio観測所관측소, 기상대, 전망대observatorijaobservatorijabalai cerapsterrenwachtobservatoriumobserwatoriumobservatórioobservator (astronomic)обсерваторияobservatóriumopazovalnicaopservatorijaobservatoriumหอสังเกตการณ์rasathane, gözlem evi天文台обсерваторіяرصد گاہđài thiên văn天文台

n obˈserver

a person who observes. waarnemerمُراقِبнаблюдателpozorovatel, -kaobservatørder/die Beobachter(in)παρατηρητήςobservadorvaatlejaناظر؛ مراقبtarkkailijaobservateur/-triceצוֹפֶהप्रेक्षक, पर्यवेक्षकpromatrač(meg)figyelőpengamatathugandi, skoðandiosservatore, osservatrice観測者관찰자, 관측자stebėtojas, apžvalgininkasnovērotājs; komentētājspemerhatiwaarnemeriakttaker, observatørobserwatorobservadorob­ser­vatorнаблюдатель; обозревательpozorovateľ, -kaopazovalecposmatračobservatör, iakttagareผู้สังเกตการณ์gözlemci觀測者спостерігач; оглядачمشاہدngười quan sát观测者