celebrate and keep share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. celebrate means “behave as expected during of holidays or rites”. keep means “cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., `keep clean'”. keep is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈsɛləˌbɹeɪt/
1.v.behave as expected during of holidays or rites
“Keep the commandments”
2.v.have a celebration
“They were feting the patriarch of the family”
3.v.assign great social importance to
“The film director was celebrated all over Hollywood”
/ˈkip/
1.v.cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., `keep clean'
“hold in place”
2.v.continue a certain state, condition, or activity
“Keep on working!”
3.v.retain possession of
“Can I keep my old stuffed animals?”
| celebrate | keep | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɛləˌbɹeɪt/ | /ˈkip/ |
| Said | SEL-uh-brayt | keep |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Letters | 9 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Senses | 3 | 25 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | observe, keep | maintain, hold |
Full entry for celebrate · Full entry for keep · More comparisons