verb

feiern

celebrate

Etwas gemeinsam mit anderen Menschen genießen, oft mit Musik, Essen und guter Stimmung.

Definition & meaning

feiern is a German verb meaning “to celebrate” or “to party.”

It is used in several related ways:

To celebrate an event or occasion
- Wir feiern heute meinen Geburtstag. — “We are celebrating my birthday today.”
- It can refer to birthdays, weddings, holidays, victories, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
To party or have a good time
- Sie feiern die ganze Nacht. — “They are partying all night.”
- In this meaning, it often implies drinking, dancing, and socializing.
To honor, commemorate, or observe something
- Das Land feiert seinen Nationalfeiertag. — “The country is celebrating its national holiday.”
- This meaning can be more formal or ceremonial.
To praise or enthusiastically admire someone or something
- Die Fans feiern den Sänger. — “The fans are celebrating or enthusiastically praising the singer.”
- In informal modern German, this can mean showing strong approval, even without an actual party.

Grammar & Word origin

Word type: regular verb
Infinitive: feiern
Present tense: ich feiere
Simple past: ich feierte
Past participle: gefeiert
Auxiliary verb: haben
- Wir haben gefeiert. — “We celebrated.”

The verb is not separable. Its stem is Feier- with the infinitive ending -n. It is related to the noun die Feier , meaning “celebration” or “ceremony.”

Historically, the word is connected with older German forms derived from Latin feria, meaning a religious holiday or day of rest.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

zelebrieren — “to celebrate”; more formal and often used for ceremonies or important occasions.
begehen — “to observe” or “to mark”; commonly used for anniversaries, holidays, or memorial days and is more formal than feiern.
Party machen — “to party”; informal and focused specifically on having fun socially.
anstoßen — “to raise a toast”; refers to one activity associated with celebrating, not to celebration as a whole.
würdigen — “to honor” or “to recognize”; emphasizes respect or appreciation rather than enjoyment.

Antonyms

There is no single exact antonym for feiern, because the opposite depends on the meaning:

trauern — “to mourn”; an opposite of celebrating a joyful occasion.
arbeiten — “to work”; can contrast with partying or taking time off to celebrate.
verzichten — “to refrain” or “to abstain”; can describe choosing not to participate in a celebration.

Common phrases & collocations

Geburtstag feiern — to celebrate a birthday
Weihnachten feiern — to celebrate Christmas
eine Hochzeit feiern — to celebrate a wedding
ein Fest feiern — to celebrate a festival or hold a celebration
eine Party feiern — to have a party
bis spät in die Nacht feiern — to party until late at night
jemanden feiern — to enthusiastically praise or admire someone
sich selbst feiern — to celebrate or praise oneself; often slightly critical in tone