How to Use observe in a Sentence

observe

verb
  • The class will be observing the movements of fish.
  • We observed a large flock of birds heading north.
  • She observed that every man in the room had removed his hat.
  • Few cases of the disease have been observed in humans.
  • The new teacher will give the lesson today and the principal will observe.
  • He observed two children playing with marbles on the street corner.
  • The patient must be observed constantly.
  • Children learn by observing their parents and others.
  • From there, observe any dents, soft spots or cracks.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 25 May 2026
  • They are best observed on the five nights around the full moon.
    — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
  • Their job was to observe and record, not engage.
    — Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
  • First, observe the bridge of the bra—the part between the cups.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
  • This depends on what kind of observing you want to do.
    — Matt Morris, Space.com, 4 Mar. 2026
  • All this Adele observed from a distance.
    — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • But there’s much more to it than that, Macmillan observes.
    — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Those fifty years were not spent observing from a distance.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
  • Last year, the chemical was observed in the dead, icy spray of a comet.
    — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2025
  • But that event was much shorter, observed for a little more than ten hours.
    — Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2023
  • Health inspectors observed a dead roach in the mop room.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026
  • West has observed only hints of what is coming.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
  • No adult females have died, and none have been observed with symptoms.
    — Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • There were no signs of injury, trauma, or drug use observed at the scene.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The deep-sea species is rarely observed in the wild, scientists say.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 12 June 2026
  • Also, as both books aptly observe, men can fawn, too.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
  • It has been observed in at least 51 species from small lemurs up to bigger apes.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Oct. 2023
  • While at the scene, deputies observed a trail of blood leading to a third-floor apartment.
    — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The best way to observe any meteor shower is with the naked eye.
    — Jules-Pierre Malartre, Space.com, 8 June 2026
  • When is Passover observed in 2026?
    — Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Mar. 2026
  • This is especially easy to observe when the plants are bare root.
    — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
  • This week, plan for viewing about an hour and a half past sunset to observe your best look at the comets.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'observe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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