recital

noun re·cit·al \ ri-ˈsī-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of recital

1 a : a detailed account : enumeration

a recital of names and dates

b : the act or process or an instance of reciting

c : discourse, narration

a colorful recital of a night on the town

2 a : a concert given by an individual musician or dancer or by a dance troupe

b : a public exhibition of skill given by music or dance pupils

—

recitalist

play \ri-ˈsī-tᵊl-ist\ noun

See recital defined for English-language learners

See recital defined for kids

Recent Examples of recital from the Web

Music courses, recitals, and concerts are often strictly activities offered by private schools, where tuition can reach $10,000 a year.

— taylor luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "In rediscovered reed flute, a soulful link to Jordanian identity," 13 July 2018
Along with local musical acts, the plaza could host students from local schools playing music or giving theater performances or dance recitals, according to Lakota.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Tuneful Tinley Park plans outdoor music plaza," 24 June 2018
Soon afterward, the group organized Mourner’s Kaddish recitals at which the names of dead protesters were read.

— abraham riesman, Daily Intelligencer, "Can the young activists of IfNotNow change the conversation about Israel and the Palestinians, or will their contradictions hold them back?," 12 July 2018
This year, the academy’s sixth, brings recitals by Jerome Lowenthal, Simone Dinnerstein, and Charles Abramovic, as well as by program director Ching-Yun Hu.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Classical concerts: 'Star Wars' at the Mann, Curtis Summerfest, 'Fred' the organ at Kimmel, more," 6 June 2018
Anthony recently joined Lopez and her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez at Emme’s dance recital earlier this month.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Jennifer Lopez's Daughter Emme Is in Talks to Land a Book Deal — at Age 10!," 28 June 2018
The recital will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 10, at Steinway Piano Galleries at Ashby Square, 520 W. Hwy.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Free recital salutes Steinway Piano Competition winners," 7 June 2018
Wang made her name with vigorous performances of spectacular Russian repertoire, and such pieces made up the bulk of this recital, presented by Celebrity Series of Boston.

— zoë madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Yuja Wang sparkles at Jordan Hall," 14 May 2018
The Friends of Chamber Music will present pianist Yefim Bronfman in recital Friday, May 18, at the Folly Theater.

— patrick neas, kansascity, "Kansas City Symphony Chorus’ requiem will offer a balm for the soul | The Kansas City Star," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'recital.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of recital

1536

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

RECITAL Defined for English Language Learners

recital

noun

Definition of recital for English Language Learners

: a dance or musical performance
: the act of reading something out loud or saying something from memory usually for an audience
: a long description or list that includes many things

RECITAL Defined for Kids

recital

noun re·cit·al \ ri-ˈsī-tᵊl \

Definition of recital for Students

1 : a public performance of music or dance given by one or more people

a piano recital

2 : an act of describing something usually in great detail

Law Dictionary

recital

noun re·ci·tal \ ri-ˈsīt-ᵊl \

legal Definition of recital

: a formal statement or setting forth of some relevant matter of fact in a deed or other document

Note: A recital is often preceded by whereas.

Learn More about recital

See words that rhyme with recital Spanish Central: Translation of recital Nglish: Translation of recital for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of recital for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up recital? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

recital

Definition of recital

recitalist

Recent Examples of recital from the Web

First Known Use of recital

RECITAL Defined for English Language Learners

recital

Definition of recital for English Language Learners

RECITAL Defined for Kids

recital

Definition of recital for Students

Law Dictionary

recital

legal Definition of recital

Learn More about recital

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

cerulean

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Putting 'Myself' Where 'Me' or 'I' Usually Goes

A Deep Dive on 'Deep Dive'

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

The Eponym Quiz

True or False?

Citation

Trending: Manafort Guilty on 8 Charges, 'Mistrial' on Others

Putting 'Myself' Where 'Me' or 'I' Usually Goes

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Ghost Word

recital

Definition of recital

recitalist

Recent Examples of recital from the Web

First Known Use of recital

RECITAL Defined for English Language Learners

recital

Definition of recital for English Language Learners

RECITAL Defined for Kids

recital

Definition of recital for Students

Law Dictionary

recital

legal Definition of recital

Learn More about recital

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: Manafort Guilty on 8 Charges, 'Mistrial' on Others

Putting 'Myself' Where 'Me' or 'I' Usually Goes

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Ghost Word