We must observe the rules.
Source: tatoeba (20225)
Observe
/əbˈzɜːv/
Synonyms for "observe" (456 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (92)
Verb(17 words)
follownoticewatchabideabide byabidedattestedbeheldbeholdsbotanizecelebratecelebratedcelebrateschecking temperaturecommemoratescomment oncomply
abide byaccommodateaccommodate withaccordact up toadaptadapt toadhere toadjustadjust toadministeradminister communionagree withallude toanimadvertascertainassimilateassimilate toattendattend communion
Show 41 more words
attend massattend toattend to ordersautopsybe faithful tobe guided bybe vigilantbe watchfulbeat the drumbeholdbeholderbendblow the trumpetblurtblurt outbystandercall attention tocanvasscarry outcarry throughcasecatch sight ofcelebratecelebrate masscheckcheck outcheck overcheck up onchime in withclap eyes oncommemoratecommentcomment uponcommentatecommunicatecomparecompletecomplycomply withcomposeconceive
Noun(14 words)
adheringanimal care practiceattend informallyauditing of conductbaywatchbeholdingbirdbird watchingbirdingcelebrated holidaycelebratingclassroom organism studycommentingcomments
Strong matches (136)
conformconform toconsidercontemplateconventionalizecorrectcorresponddeclaredefer todescrydignifydiscerndischargedisciplinediscoverdistinguishdo justice todress shipeffecteffectuate
Show 65 more words
enforceespyexamineexclaimexecuteexploreeyeeyeballeyewitnessfall in withfeelfillfill outfire a salutefitfollowfollow the bookformalizefulfilfulfillgazegaze atgear togive an examinationglimpsego bygo overhallowharken toharmonizehave a lookseehave in sighthearken toheedhold byhold in viewhold jubileehonorimplementinspectinterjectjubilatejubilizekeepkeep faithkeep faith withkeep in sightkeep in viewkeep under observationkenlay eyes onlet droplet falllisten tolive up tolooklook afterlook atlook onlook overlook uponlooker-onmaffickmakemake conform
Verb(21 words)
conformconformsdetectdetecteddiscoverespiedespiesespyingeyedeyingfindheedshonorhonourkeepkeep an eye onlookedlurklurkinglurks
Show 1 more word
Noun(27 words)
Adjective(2 words)
educational pond ecosystemlawful conduct
Interjection(1 words)
Related words (228)
make goodmake merrymake outmake reference tomarkmeetmemorializementionmindmoldmonitormouldmouldermouldymusenotenoticeobeyobey the rulesobserver
Show 90 more words
onlookeropineoverhauloverlookpass overpass under reviewpay attention topeerpeer atperceiveperusepick outpolicepore overpostmortempromulgateprosecuteput in forceput throughreceive the sacramentrecognizereconcilereconnoiterrectifyreferrefer toreflectregardremarkremark uponrememberrenderrespectreverereverencereviewritualizerub off cornersrun oversatisfysavorsayscanscoutscrutinizeseeset an examinationsettleshapesightsignalizesizesize upsolemnizesolemnly marksound a fanfarespeakspotspyspy uponstatestay in linestraightenstudystylizesubmitsuitsurveytake intake notetake noticetake orderstake stock oftake the measuretallytally withtendtoe the linetoe the marktransacttraversetwigup onvenerateviewviewerwatchwatcherwitnessyield
Noun(80 words)
mark the momentmindingmindsmiramiromonitor body temperaturemonitor fluid balancemonitor live statusmonitoringmonitoring ecosystem recoveriesmonitoring orientedmonitoring setupmonitorsmorphology notemovie watchingnatural science fieldnature study activitiesnitrogen status measurenote datanote disorganization
Show 60 more words
note findingsnote phrasenote trendsnotesnotice energynotice of meetingnotice the noisenoticesnoticingnotingobversesoverlook deckpeer belongingpeeringperceivingperiscopespractice nationality adjectivesradarsremarkingremarksrememberingrespect for othersrespectingsawscoutsscrutineerseeingsensesensessensingsensor data monitoringshadowshadowingshadowssightingsightssoil monitoringspiesspotsspottingspyingstakeoutstargazingstudy practicetailingteacher regardtelescopetourist gazetwiggingviewingviewsvigilswatch movementwatcheswatchingwitnesseswitnessingwristwatcheswritten notezebrafish study
Verb(34 words)
Adjective(4 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: follow, notice, watch, abide, abide by.
- Sentence evidence is available for observe, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "observe".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "observe"
Keep "observe" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "observe" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "observe", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "observe" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
31 entriesShowing 16 of 31 words.
More specific
4 entriesCollocations
6 entriesobserve a ruleobserve carefullyobserve closelyobserve dataobserve experimentsobserve the phenomenon
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriessimilar
4 entriesTranslations
154 translations across 61 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ὁράω verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Arabic
2 entries- رَاقَبَ verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- لَاحَظَ verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Armenian
1 entries- դիտել verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Belarusian
2 entries- нагляда́ць verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- назiра́ць verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Bulgarian
3 entries- наблюда́вам verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- спа́звам verb (to follow)
- съблюдавам verb (to follow)
Catalan
3 entries- observar verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- observar verb (to follow)
- seguir verb (to follow)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 觀察 /观察 verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- 遵守 verb (to follow)
- 遵循 verb (to follow)
Czech
2 entries- dodržovat verb (to follow)
- pozorovat verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Danish
4 entries- betragte verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- følge verb (to follow)
- iagttage verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- observere verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Dutch
4 entries- in acht nemen verb (to follow)
- observeren verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- opmerken verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- respecteren verb (to follow)
Egyptian
1 entries- gm-m-H-ir verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Esperanto
1 entries- observi verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Estonian
1 entries- vaatlema verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Finnish
4 entries- havainnoida verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- noudattaa verb (to follow)
- observoida verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- pitää verb (to follow)
French
4 entries- garder verb (to follow)
- observer verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- observer verb (to follow)
- remarquer verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Friulian
1 entries- osservâ verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Georgian
2 entries- აკვირდება verb (to follow)
- დააკვირდება verb (to follow)
German
3 entries- beachten verb (to follow)
- beobachten verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- halten verb (to follow)
Gothic
1 entries- 𐌲𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Greek
2 entries- παρατηρώ verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- τηρώ verb (to follow)
Haitian Creole
1 entries- obsève verb (to follow)
Higaonon
1 entries- panid-an verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Hindi
1 entries- देखना verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Hungarian
4 entries- betart verb (to follow)
- megfigyel verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- észlel verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- észrevesz verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Icelandic
1 entries- skoða verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Irish
1 entries- coinnigh verb (to follow)
Italian
2 entries- osservare verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- osservare verb (to follow)
Japanese
3 entries- 守る verb (to follow)
- 従う verb (to follow)
- 観察する verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Korean
1 entries- 관찰하다 verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Ladin
1 entries- usserver verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Latgalian
1 entries- tiemēt verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Latin
4 entries- animadverto verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- aspecto verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- considero verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- inhaereo verb (to follow)
Latvian
1 entries- vērot verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Lower Sorbian
2 entries- woglědaś verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- woglědowaś verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Macedonian
1 entries- набљудува verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Malay
2 entries- perhati verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- tinjau verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- observere verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- observere verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Persian
3 entries- مشاهده کردن verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- نپاهیدن verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- پاسیدن verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Polish
4 entries- obchodzić verb (to follow)
- obserwować verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- przestrzegać verb (to follow)
- zachowywać verb (to follow)
Portuguese
4 entries- acompanhar verb (to follow)
- cumprir verb (to follow)
- observar verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- olhar verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Quechua
1 entries- qhaway verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Romanian
1 entries- observa verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Russian
4 entries- блюсти́ verb (to follow)
- наблюда́ть verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- отмеча́ть verb (to follow)
- соблюда́ть verb (to follow)
Sanskrit
1 entries- पश्यति verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- comharraich verb (to follow)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- opservirati verb (to follow)
- osmátrati verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- osmòtriti (Bosnia and Herzegovina) verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- promátrati verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Slovak
1 entries- pozorovať verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Slovene
2 entries- opazovati verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- upoštevati verb (to follow)
Spanish
4 entries- observar verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- seguir verb (to follow)
- servar verb (to follow)
- tomar en cuenta verb (to follow)
Swahili
1 entries- kushika verb (to follow)
Swedish
3 entries- iaktta verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- iaktta verb (to follow)
- observera verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Telugu
1 entries- పరిశీలించు verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Thai
1 entries- สังเกต verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Tocharian B
1 entries- yärp- verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Ugaritic
1 entries- 𐎈𐎄𐎊 verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Ukrainian
3 entries- нагляда́ти verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- назира́ти verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- спостеріга́ти verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Venetan
1 entries- oservar verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Vietnamese
1 entries- quan sát verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Yiddish
1 entries- אָבסערווירן verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
Zazaki
2 entries- pawen verb (to notice, to watch — see also notice)
- çım eşten verb (to follow)
Sample sentences
23 total sentences available.
We should observe the speed limit.
Source: tatoeba (22867)
We must observe the traffic regulations.
Source: tatoeba (22994)
Observe his facial reaction when we mention a price.
Source: tatoeba (24433)
Showing 4 of 23 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "observe"?
Closest matches include follow, notice, watch, abide, abide by.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "observe"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.