if memory serves

phrase

variants or if (my) memory serves me (correctly/right/rightly)
: if I remember accurately
The child's name was Rebecca Rose, if memory serves. She and her mother both died in the big influenza epidemic of 1918.Sue Grafton
It was on the third day, if my memory serves me right, that I saw the lad killed.H. G. Wells
He stated with hesitation that "If my memory serves me correctly, his name was John."

Cite this Entry

“If memory serves.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/if%20memory%20serves. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.

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