recall 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈkȯl How to pronounce recall (audio)
Definition of recallnext
1
as in to remember
to bring back to mind I don't recall meeting you before

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cancel
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) I'll recall my purchase order if the company refuses to guarantee that it'll arrive before Christmas

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

recall

2 of 2

noun

ri-ˈkȯl How to pronounce recall (audio)
1
as in recollection
a particular act or instance of recalling or the thing remembered his recall of the events of that turbulent time is significantly different from the accounts of other eyewitnesses

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in cancelation
the act of putting an end to something planned or previously agreed to we can't get a refund on the plane tickets, so the trip is beyond recall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word recall distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of recall are recollect, remember, remind, and reminisce. While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

In what contexts can recollect take the place of recall?

The words recollect and recall are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When can remember be used instead of recall?

The meanings of remember and recall largely overlap; however, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

When is it sensible to use remind instead of recall?

Although the words remind and recall have much in common, remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

When could reminisce be used to replace recall?

While in some cases nearly identical to recall, reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of recall
Verb
Raducanu, 22, recalled the intense situation at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, her first tournament since the incident took place. —Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2025 Jack Osbourne recalls partying at 16 with Joshua Jackson during Dawson's Creek cameo: 'Lived it up!' Jackson portrayed Pacey across all six seasons of Dawson’s Creek, which also starred Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Mary Beth Peil. —EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that Columbus Trading-Partners has issued a recall for several of its car seat and travel system products. —Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 28 Feb. 2025 Despite Perez’s suffering in June 2019 — and although manufacturers had also received over 100 other reports of lid issues and 99 reports of burn injuries like the ones Perez sustained — Sunbeam and Newell didn’t issue a recall on the pressure cooker until late 2020. —Sponsored Content, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recall
  1. remember
  2. cancel
  3. recollection
  4. abandon
  5. memory
  6. cancellation
  7. scrap
  8. revoke
Verb
  • Last season, remember, was their first time back in the competition after a six-year absence.
    — Amy Lawrence, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • In one telling anecdote, Maron remembers how he was often tasked by his mother with telling a joke whenever his father was in a mood.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of remember
Verb
  • First, the Eye network canceled the FBI spinoffs FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
    — Marc Berman, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
  • South Korean law allows prosecutors to continue to hold a suspect while pursuing an appeal, even after the suspect's arrest is canceled by a court.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of cancel
Noun
  • Bhogal’s recollection of their conversation — their only call — offers the most detailed public account of Mangione during the months leading up to his arrest.
    — Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The narrative runs through recollections of heading to Mother Emanuel with his parents and siblings as a child, the moment authorities confirmed his sister’s death and the state’s history of racial violence.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of recollection
Verb
  • The suspension of programs supporting the promotion of democracy in authoritarian countries, a bipartisan U.S. foreign policy for decades, has left experts wondering if the Trump administration has abandoned that goal.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
  • High in the thin Alaskan air, where abundant oxygen had long abandoned such firmaments for lower altitude, five women knelt circled against the piercing cold.
    — Cassidy Randall, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of abandon
Noun
  • The tags pointed to a publicly available file that copies the internal memory of severs running it, searches for credentials, and writes them to a log.
    — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 17 Mar. 2025
  • But measles can destroy the cells that retain those memories.
    — Maria Godoy, NPR, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of memory
Noun
  • As an example, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, which treats HIV pregnant women to prevent their babies from contracting HIV in the U.S. and abroad, received a cancellation notice that affected the care of over 350,000 people.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • In a dramatic escalation of the state’s coronavirus response, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital Thursday and urged the cancellation of large events statewide.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of cancellation
Verb
  • Shortly after the editorial page decision was announced nearly two weeks ago, another Post story on the issue, by media columnist Erik Wemple, was scrapped, according to the Gene Pool, a blog written by former Post writer Gene Weingarten.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Trump Should Work with Congress on BSA Reform Congress could amend the BSA to maintain its record-keeping requirements while scrapping its reporting requirements.
    — Norbert Michel, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of scrap
Verb
  • The Education Department cannot simply revoke forgiveness from someone overnight without going through the proper rulemaking (and overcoming legal hurdles).
    — Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Bumgardner’s license was revoked for 24 hours, and he was released after being ordered to appear in court next week.
    — Julia Bonavita, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of revoke

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Cite this Entry

“Recall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recall. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on recall

Nglish: Translation of recall for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about recall

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