Observe
[əb'zɜːv] or [əb'zɝv]
Definition
(verb.) stick to correctly or closely; 'The pianist kept time with the metronome'; 'keep count'; 'I cannot keep track of all my employees'.
(verb.) watch attentively; 'Please observe the reaction of these two chemicals'.
(verb.) behave as expected during 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'.
Checker: Lucy--From WordNet
Definition
(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.
Editor: Stanton
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. [1]. Notice, remark, note, watch, eye, mark, take note of, pay attention to.[2]. Fulfil, obey, follow, comply with, conform to, adhere to, be faithful to.[3]. Celebrate, regard, keep, solemnize.
v. n. [1]. Take notice.[2]. Make a remark.
Typist: Portia
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Remark, mark, watch, note, behold, perceive_keep, heed, respect,[SeePERCEIVE]
Editor: Roxanne
Definition
v.t. to keep in view: to notice: to subject to systematic observation: to regard attentively: to remark refer to in words: to comply with: to heed and to carry out in practice: to keep with proper ceremony: to keep or guard.—v.i. to take notice: to attend: to remark.—adj. Observ′able that may be observed or noticed: worthy of observation: remarkable: requiring to be observed.—n. Observ′ableness.—adv. Observ′ably.—ns. Observ′ance act of observing or paying attention to: performance: attention: that which is to be observed: rule of practice a custom to be observed: reverence: homage; Observ′ancy observance: obsequiousness.—adj. Observ′ant observing: having powers of observing and noting: taking notice: adhering to: carefully attentive.—n. (Shak.) an obsequious attendant: one strict to comply with a custom &c.; or Observ′antine one of those Franciscan monks of stricter rule who separated from the Conventuals in the 15th century.—adv. Observ′antly.—n. Observā′tion act of observing: habit of seeing and noting: attention: the act of recognising and noting phenomena as they occur in nature as distinguished from experiment: that which is observed: a remark: performance: the fact of being observed.—adj. Observā′tional consisting of or containing observations or remarks: derived from observation as distinguished from experiment.—adv. Observā′tionally.—adj. Obser′vative attentive.—ns. Ob′servātor one who observes: a remarker; Observ′atory a place for making astronomical and physical observations usually placed in some high and stable place; Observ′er.—adj. Observ′ing habitually taking notice: attentive.—adv. Observ′ingly.
Editor: Oswald
Examples
- I suppose the virtue to belong to my companion, not to myself; and observe what follows from this alteration. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- Clara, though she endeavoured to give herself up to his amusement, often forgot him, as she turned to observe Adrian and me. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Now, Betteredge, exert those sharp wits of yours, and observe the conclusion to which the Colonel's instructions point! Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Their shape was very singular and deformed, which a little discomposed me, so that I lay down behind a thicket to observe them better. Jonathan Swift. Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
- I will observe your very proper request. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- No leaf will decay because we are removed, nor any branch become motionless although we can observe you no longer! Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- Gentlemen all, observe the dark stain upon this gentleman's hat, no wider than a shilling, but thicker than a half-crown. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- She merely observed that he was perfectly good humoured and friendly. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- She draws prettily, he observed: and she has now got a little companion she is very fond of. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- Here Darwin observed crabs of monstrous size, with a structure which ena bled them to open the cocoanuts. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- This is an extraordinary story,' observed Lightwood, who had heard it out with serious attention. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Nor an old 'un neither, Sir,' observed Mr. Weller. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Miss Eliott is a very sweet girl, and seemed to enjoy herself, I thought, observed Beth, with unusual warmth. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- Old New York scrupulously observed the etiquette of hospitality, and no discussion with a guest was ever allowed to degenerate into a disagreement. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- Mr. Bennet accepted the challenge, observing that he acted very wisely in leaving the girls to their own trifling amusements. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- In the first place, as we began by observing, the nature of the philosopher has to be ascertained. Plato. The Republic.
- Very good, very good,' said the little man, observing the impression he had made. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Fanny, not able to refrain entirely from observing them, had seen enough to be tolerably satisfied. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- On returning from Mrs. Vesey's, I instructed Marian to write (observing the same caution which I practised myself) to Mrs. Michelson. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- I therefore pleaded another engagement; and observing that Mrs. Micawber's spirits were immediately lightened, I resisted all persuasion to forego it. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Mr. Gamfield gave an arch look at the faces round the table, and, observing a smile on all of them, gradually broke into a smile himself. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- He observes on a number of histories of whirlwinds, &c. Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
- We are all very much interested in the man from Somewhere,' Veneering observes. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Richard sagaciously saw, as Jussieu observes, that this genus should still be retained among the Malpighiaceae. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- I have the honour to be, GEORGE A little formal, observes the elder brother, refolding it with a puzzled face. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- A proposal which, as you correctly informed me at the time, he had the becoming taste and perception, observes Sir Leicester, to decline. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- These instances are in themselves totally distinct from each other, and have no union but in the mind, which observes them, and collects their ideas. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- The old lady is thanking him for his attention when she observes the comrades in waiting. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
Checked by Aron