observe

[ob·serve]

Observe is often used to mean “remark” or “comment.” When trying to start up a conversation with an attractive stranger, you might observe that it’s raining outside (but hopefully you’ll come up with something more interesting to say).

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To take notice of by appropriate conduct; to conform one's action or practice to; to keep; to heed; to obey; to comply with; as, to observe rules or commands; to observe civility.

Verb
observe correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with the metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my employees"

Verb
make mention of; "She observed that his presentation took up too much time"; "They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing"

Verb
observe with care or pay close attention to; "Take note of this chemical reaction"

Verb
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"

Verb
watch attentively; "Please observe the reaction of these two chemicals"

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Verb
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"

Verb
show respect towards; "honor your parents!"

Verb
celebrate, as of holidays or rites; "Keep the commandments"; "celebrate Christmas"; "Observe Yom Kippur"

Verb
conform one''s action or practice to; "keep appointments"; "she never keeps her promises"; "We kept to the original conditions of the contract"


v. t.
To take notice of by appropriate conduct; to conform one's action or practice to; to keep; to heed; to obey; to comply with; as, to observe rules or commands; to observe civility.

v. t.
To be on the watch respecting; to pay attention to; to notice with care; to see; to perceive; to discover; as, to observe an eclipse; to observe the color or fashion of a dress; to observe the movements of an army.

v. t.
To express as what has been noticed; to utter as a remark; to say in a casual or incidental way; to remark.

v. i.
To take notice; to give attention to what one sees or hears; to attend.

v. i.
To make a remark; to comment; -- generally with on or upon.


Observe

Ob*serve" , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Observed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Observing.] [L.observare, observatum; ob (see Ob-) + servare to save, preserve, keep, heed, observe: cf.F. observer. See Serve.] 1. To take notice of by appropriate conduct; to conform one's action or practice to; to keep; to heed; to obey; to comply with; as, to observe rules or commands; to observe civility.
Ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread.
He wolde no such cursedness observe.
Must I budge? Must I observe you?
With solemn purpose to observe Immutably his sovereign will.
2. To be on the watch respecting; to pay attention to; to notice with care; to see; to perceive; to discover; as, to observe an eclipse; to observe the color or fashion of a dress; to observe the movements of an army. 3. To express as what has been noticed; to utter as a remark; to say in a casual or incidental way; to remark.

Observe

Ob*serve", v. i. 1. To take notice; to give attention to what one sees or hears; to attend. 2. To make a remark; to comment; -- generally with on or upon.
I have barely quoted... without observing upon it.
Syn. -- To remark. See Remark.

To take notice of by appropriate conduct; to conform one's action or practice to; to keep; to heed; to obey; to comply with; as, to observe rules or commands; to observe civility.

To take notice; to give attention to what one sees or hears; to attend.

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Usage Examples

But, if you observe children learning in their first few years of life, you can see that they can and do learn on their own - we leave them alone to crawl, walk, talk, and gain control over their bodies. It happens without much help from parents.

Art is changing. Again. Here. Now. Opportunities to witness this are rare, so attend and observe.

If only we could persuade galleries to observe a fallow period in which, for two months every other year, new and old works of art could be sold in back rooms and all main galleries would be devoted to revisiting shows gone by.

Canada's a huge country, so to be able to unite the country through communication satellite technology or to be able to observe it through remote sensing technology from space is a natural fit for a country like Canada.

Even private persons in due season, with discretion and temper, may reprove others, whom they observe to commit sin, or follow bad courses, out of charitable design, and with hope to reclaim them.

I consider myself to have been the bridge between the shotgun and the binoculars in bird watching. Before I came along, the primary way to observe birds was to shoot them and stuff them.

He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too.

Look out into the universe and contemplate the glory of God. Observe the stars, millions of them, twinkling in the night sky, all with a message of unity, part of the very nature of God.

Misspelled Form

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Other Usage Examples

Even to observe neutrality you must have a strong government.

It is only when you watch the dense mass of thousands of ants, crowded together around the Hill, blackening the ground, that you begin to see the whole beast, and now you observe it thinking, planning, calculating. It is an intelligence, a kind of live computer, with crawling bits for its wits.

A broad margin of leisure is as beautiful in a man's life as in a book. Haste makes waste, no less in life than in housekeeping. Keep the time, observe the hours of the universe, not of the cars.

If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.

It goes without saying that the desire to accomplish the task with more confidence, to avoid wasting time and labour, and to spare our experimental animals as much as possible, made us strictly observe all the precautions taken by surgeons in respect to their patients.

NASA was going to pick a public school teacher to go into space, observe and make a journal about the space flight, and I am a teacher who always dreamed of going up into space.

I aimlessly travel, meaning I have no agenda other than to get small in the world, be quiet and observe people.

It is now for the Catholic Church to bend herself to her work with calmness and generosity. It is for you to observe her with renewed and friendly attention.

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