recommend

verb

rec·​om·​mend ˌre-kə-ˈmend How to pronounce recommend (audio)
recommended; recommending; recommends

transitive verb

1
a
: to present (something) as worthy of acceptance or trial
Can you recommend a good restaurant?
This brand was highly recommended.
hired a contractor who came well recommended
b
: to endorse (someone) as fit, worthy, or competent
Her previous employer recommended her for the position.
2
: to suggest (an act or course of action) as advisable
I recommend that you avoid the downtown during rush hour.
We highly/strongly recommend that you update your operating system.
Follow-up treatment is recommended.
3
: to make (someone or something) acceptable or attractive
a location with many features to recommend it
often used in phrases like have little to recommend it and have much to recommend it
… the village had little to recommend it other than the panoramic view …Paul L. Hall
… this style of travel has much to recommend it.Doug and Bobbe Tatreau
"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant … ."Jane Austen
This approach has a lot to recommend it, but it has some downsides too.Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular
Used with discretion, the technique has something to recommend itEdward J. Foster
He was not well educated; he had nothing to recommend him but his youth and his love for her.Charles W. Chestnutt
… dancing is a terrific form of exercise that has everything to recommend itAndrew Weil
4
: entrust, commit
recommended his soul to God
recommendable adjective
recommendatory adjective
recommender noun

see also recommended entry 2

Examples of recommend in a Sentence

There is much besides fishing to recommend a trip to this sleepy fishing village … Peter Kaminsky, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2002
… you feel as if you've left the world behind, down below, and that the only way to rejoin it is to let go and plummet straight down. Erice is not the first place I'd recommend to the acrophobic. Francine Prose, Atlantic, December 2002
Many of the jobs, and especially those that paid well, had been parcelled out to candidates—mostly white males—whose applications signified that they had been recommended by well-placed political figures. Andy Logan, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 1989
If he'd bailed out with the rest of his crew—or been evacuated from the area at once as his regimental surgeon had recommended—perhaps he would have recovered fully … Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1988
A friend recommended this restaurant. I can't decide between the lasagna and the salmon. Which do you recommend? They recommended her for a promotion after only two years. The film is recommended to anyone who liked her earlier movies. It is strongly recommended that you change the oil in your car every 5,000 miles. Take only the recommended dose of cough syrup. You may decide to pursue the matter in court, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Recent Examples on the Web New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 Researchers recommended adding more fiber for those who had constipation but said high-fiber foods should be avoided for diarrhea until symptoms improve. Kristen Fischer, Health, 15 Mar. 2024 Garcia prepared a fourteen-page report recommending that the U.S. send specific forms of more lethal aid to the Ukrainian military. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 60 years with all but 25 suspended, to be served at the Patuxent Institution, a Maryland prison that offers a youth offender program. Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Bove suggested a recent report by special counsel Robert Hur that criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of classified information did not recommend charges proved his point about the lack of clarity. Eric Tucker, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Some did require that patients fail one or two other drugs first, but KP was the only one that recommended four. April Dembosky, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 These changes were recommended by Cedarburg's Joint City and Town Fire and EMS Committee, which the municipalities formed in July 2023 to recommend budget solutions that would enable the department to remain independent. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 Experts recommend finding ways to cut down on plastic consumption in your daily routine, such as drinking out of metal water bottles and limiting the consumption of food packaged in plastic. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French recommender, from Medieval Latin recommendare, from Latin re- + commendare to commend

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of recommend was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near recommend

Cite this Entry

“Recommend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recommend. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recommend

verb
rec·​om·​mend ˌrek-ə-ˈmend How to pronounce recommend (audio)
1
: to make a statement in praise of
recommend a person for a promotion
2
: to cause to receive favorable attention
children recommended by their good manners
3
: to put forward or suggest as one's advice, as one's choice, or as having one's support
recommendable adjective
recommender noun

More from Merriam-Webster on recommend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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