recanted; recanting; recants
: to make an open confession of error
Synonyms
Examples of recant in a Sentence
Church officials asked the minister to recant.
Witnesses threatened to recant their testimony when the court released their names to the paper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mizuhara also recanted details of his initial story to ESPN, the outlet reported.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Related Articles The consequences of that guidance have rippled through Santa Clara County school districts, where children have recanted their abuse allegations in front of their parents, according to Milpitas Unified school social worker Nicole Steward.
—Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Prosecutor still ‘convinced’ of Cantu’s guilt In court filings, Cantu and his attorney claimed false testimony was presented at trial by the state’s key witnesses, including one who has since recanted.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024
Why would Mizuhara and the Ohtani spokesperson recant their original version of events?
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Where Galileo sold out and recanted, Bannon explained, Bruno was a real hero.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Court filings also show that Boettcher's brother, Jeff Boettcher, recanted his testimony.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024
In the days after her emailed comments regarding Trump, Ransome sent a follow-up email on Oct. 23, 2016, recanting her statements entirely.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2024
While the murder charge was eventually dropped (the victim recanted), Harris spent 30 years behind bars for the drug charge before Trump pardoned him and 73 others.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 Jan. 2024
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Related Articles The consequences of that guidance have rippled through Santa Clara County school districts, where children have recanted their abuse allegations in front of their parents, according to Milpitas Unified school social worker Nicole Steward.
—Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Prosecutor still ‘convinced’ of Cantu’s guilt In court filings, Cantu and his attorney claimed false testimony was presented at trial by the state’s key witnesses, including one who has since recanted.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024
Why would Mizuhara and the Ohtani spokesperson recant their original version of events?
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Where Galileo sold out and recanted, Bannon explained, Bruno was a real hero.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Court filings also show that Boettcher's brother, Jeff Boettcher, recanted his testimony.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024
In the days after her emailed comments regarding Trump, Ransome sent a follow-up email on Oct. 23, 2016, recanting her statements entirely.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2024
While the murder charge was eventually dropped (the victim recanted), Harris spent 30 years behind bars for the drug charge before Trump pardoned him and 73 others.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recant.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Recant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recant. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
recant
transitive verb
re·cant
ri-ˈkant 
: to renounce or withdraw (prior statements or testimony)
surprised the prosecution by recanting statements made earlier to the police
: to renounce or withdraw prior statements or testimony
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