recommend
verb
rec·om·mend
ˌre-kə-ˈmend 
recommended; recommending; recommends
1
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
Paul L. Hall… this style of travel has much to recommend it.—Doug and Bobbe Tatreau
Doug and Bobbe Tatreau"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant … ."—Jane Austen
Jane AustenThis approach has a lot to recommend it, but it has some downsides too.—Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular
Herminia Ibarra and Anne ScoularUsed with discretion, the technique has something to recommend it …—Edward J. Foster
Edward J. FosterHe was not well educated; he had nothing to recommend him but his youth and his love for her.—Charles W. Chestnutt
Charles W. Chestnutt… dancing is a terrific form of exercise that has everything to recommend it …—Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil
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.
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
One reader recommends visiting in December—just in time for snow and the Christmas markets.
—Peter Terzian, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025
Experts recommend traveling with a local guide, being mindful of social norms, and making genuine connections with locals.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Dharna recommends having regular family conversations about money and about your family’s finances.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 8 July 2025
These are Linear/HiFi switches and recommended for gamers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for recommend
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Peter Terzian, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025
Experts recommend traveling with a local guide, being mindful of social norms, and making genuine connections with locals.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Dharna recommends having regular family conversations about money and about your family’s finances.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 8 July 2025
These are Linear/HiFi switches and recommended for gamers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for recommend
Cite this Entry
“Recommend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recommend. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recommend
verb
rec·om·mend
ˌrek-ə-ˈmend
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
recommender
noun
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