armed forcesA nation's troops of land, sea and air together. In the United States their commander in chief is the president.
commemorateTo hold a ceremony so a person is not forgotten. Example: A plaque in the park commemorates ten people from the town who never came home from war.
half-staffThe flag lowered to the middle of its pole. On Memorial Day the flag stays at half-staff only until noon. Then it goes up to the top.
honorTo treat a person as someone who deserves respect. Example: The town honors its dead by reading each name aloud at the ceremony.
memorialA statue, plaque or park that keeps a memory alive. Sculptures, fountains and parks are popular forms. A large memorial may be called a monument.
Memorial DayThe holiday for those who died serving their country. Federal law fixes it on May's last Monday. Before 1971 it was kept on May 30.
moment of silenceA short pause when everyone stays quiet. It is a gesture of respect, often for people who have died.
paradePeople marching in rows while a crowd looks on. Many American towns mark the day with a parade.
remembranceThe act of thinking back on those who are gone. Example: A red paper flower pinned to a collar is a sign of remembrance.
serviceThe years a person spends in uniform for the nation. Example: Her grandfather's service in the Navy lasted six years.
service memberSomeone now in the Army, Navy or another branch. The day for those serving now is Armed Forces Day, on May's third Saturday.
wreathA circle woven of blooms and greenery. Each Memorial Day a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Virginia.
Show all 36 terms (24 more)
History 12
Arlington National CemeteryThe military burial ground that overlooks Washington. It is in Virginia and is run by the Army. Its first military burial was in May 1864, and it has grown from 200 acres to 639.
Civil WarThe war the Union fought against the Confederacy. The first Decoration Day honored Union soldiers who had died in it.
decorateTo make a place look special with flowers or flags. The 1868 order that set the day spoke of "strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves" of those who died in the war.
Decoration DayWhat the holiday was called when it began. Arlington National Cemetery held the first national observance on May 30, 1868.
federal holidayA day off with pay for U.S. government workers. Memorial Day is one. So is Veterans Day, November 11.
headstoneA carved marker standing at a grave. For Memorial Day a small American flag is set at each grave in Arlington National Cemetery.
national cemeteryA burial ground the nation keeps for its troops. Congress first gave the power to create them in an act of July 17, 1862.
National Moment of RemembranceOne quiet minute at 3 p.m. on the holiday. The law that set it speaks of honoring the men and women "who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace".
poppyThe red flower worn in memory of the war dead. The custom grew from In Flanders Fields, a poem of 1915 that tells of poppies among soldiers' graves.
TapsThe bugle tune that closes a soldier's funeral. It also tells soldiers that the day is over and lights must go out. One bugle or trumpet plays it alone.
Tomb of the Unknown SoldierThe guarded marble grave of troops no one could name. Since 1921 it has held an unidentified American of World War I. Unknowns of later wars were added afterward.
World War IThe great war that ended in 1918. The red poppy was first used as a sign of remembrance near its end.
Who serves 12
active dutyFull-time work as a soldier, sailor or the like. The forces are made up of active-duty members, the Reserve and the National Guard.
Air ForceThe branch of pilots and warplanes. It became a branch of its own on September 18, 1947.
ArmyThe branch of soldiers, who fight on land. It began as the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.
Coast GuardThe branch that rescues people in trouble on the water. It marks August 4, 1790, as its birthday, the day Congress paid for ten ships called cutters.
Gold Star familyThe close relatives of someone who died serving. The name comes from the service flag, where a gold star stands for a family member who died.
honor guardA group chosen to carry out ceremonies. Soldiers have guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day since 1937.
Marine CorpsThe branch known for landing troops on shores. It began with two battalions of Continental Marines formed on November 10, 1775.
Medal of HonorThe nation's highest award for bravery in combat. The president usually presents it, in the name of Congress. It dates from the Civil War.
NavyThe branch that fights from ships at sea. It dates its start to October 13, 1775, when the Continental Congress voted to arm two ships.
saluteA crisp touch of the fingers to the cap or forehead. It is mostly a custom of soldiers and police, but scouts salute too.
Space ForceThe youngest branch, begun in December 2019. It grew out of the space programs that the older branches had run since the Cold War.
veteranSomeone home for good from life in uniform. Decoration Day was first proclaimed by the head of a society of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic.
How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-16. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against these public sources. For the holiday: Today in History, May 30, Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/may-30/), which bears the order of 1868 and its words, the first national observance at Arlington National Cemetery, the name Decoration Day, the parades, the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the flag at each grave, the flag at half-staff until noon and the change of date in 1971; the United States Code as published by the Legal Information Institute of Cornell Law School: 36 U.S.C. 116, the last Monday in May, with the National Moment of Remembrance Act in its notes (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/116), 4 U.S.C. 7, the flag at half-staff (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/4/7) and 10 U.S.C. 101, the six armed forces (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/101); American holidays at USA.gov (https://www.usa.gov/holidays); and two pages of Arlington National Cemetery, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and History of Arlington National Cemetery (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore). Every row was also read against the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, in the articles Memorial Day, Memorial, Decoration Day (tradition), American Civil War, United States National Cemetery System, Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington National Cemetery), National Moment of Remembrance, Taps (bugle call), Remembrance poppy, In Flanders Fields, Federal holidays in the United States, World War I, Armed Forces Day, United States Armed Forces, United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, United States Space Force, United States Coast Guard, Veteran, Medal of Honor, Service flag, Guard of honour, Salute, Active duty, Moment of silence, Parade and Wreath, and against the entries of Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), under the same license, for memorial, honor, service, remembrance, wreath, half-staff, parade, commemorate, armed forces, moment of silence, headstone, decorate, veteran, salute and active duty. The birthdays of the six branches, the rows Medal of Honor, Gold Star family, Taps and poppy, and the act of 1862 rest on Wikipedia alone. The words in quotation marks are from the order of 1868 as the Library of Congress prints them. The sentence after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work
How it works
On this Memorial Day vocabulary worksheet, memorial, honor, service, remembrance, wreath, half-staff, parade and five more words of the day run down the left, and their meanings, in another order, down the right. The last page is the answer key.
Read the full guide
History and customs
In Set, History has Decoration Day, Civil War, national cemetery, Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, National Moment of Remembrance, Taps, poppy, federal holiday, headstone, World War I and decorate.
Those who serve
The third sheet, Who serves, has Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, then veteran, Medal of Honor, Gold Star family, honor guard, salute and active duty. Under the tool every word has a fact or an example, checked against the Library of Congress, the United States Code, USA.gov, Arlington National Cemetery and Wikipedia.
The day is about people who died in war. The meanings say so in plain words and name no battle and no person.
Questions and answers
What is Memorial Day and why is it celebrated?
It is the day the United States honors the people who died while serving in its military. It grew out of Decoration Day, when Americans laid flowers on the graves of soldiers of the Civil War.
What is the National Moment of Remembrance?
One minute of quiet at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, when Americans are asked to pause wherever they are. Congress wrote it into law in December 2000.
What are the six branches of the U.S. military?
The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard. Federal law lists these six as the armed forces of the United States.