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
Synonyms
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
However, basal thermometers are not 100% accurate, so don't use this as the primary way to track ovulation, Dr. Sparks recommends.
—Latifah Miles, Parents, 8 Apr. 2024
The supplement is also sometimes recommended as a way of treating insomnia or other sleep disorders.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The Poosh post also included some of Kardashian Barker’s favorite ways to eat the foods Fox recommends, from snacks to smoothies.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
These days, patients have smaller heart attacks with less injury to their heart, leading doctors to wonder if current guidelines, which recommend using beta blockers regardless of ejection fraction, still make sense.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
The National Weather Service recommends: Bringing sensitive plants indoors.
—Staff Reports, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024
In fact, Farias often recommends not training by heart rate alone, especially for people who are newer to exercise as a whole or running specifically.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 6 Apr. 2024
In response, Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked former Gov. Jerry Brown and former Chief Justice Ronald George to recommend reforms of initiative, referendum, and recall.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
The space agency recommends putting on your glasses and finding a bright light.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Latifah Miles, Parents, 8 Apr. 2024
The supplement is also sometimes recommended as a way of treating insomnia or other sleep disorders.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The Poosh post also included some of Kardashian Barker’s favorite ways to eat the foods Fox recommends, from snacks to smoothies.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
These days, patients have smaller heart attacks with less injury to their heart, leading doctors to wonder if current guidelines, which recommend using beta blockers regardless of ejection fraction, still make sense.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
The National Weather Service recommends: Bringing sensitive plants indoors.
—Staff Reports, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024
In fact, Farias often recommends not training by heart rate alone, especially for people who are newer to exercise as a whole or running specifically.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 6 Apr. 2024
In response, Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked former Gov. Jerry Brown and former Chief Justice Ronald George to recommend reforms of initiative, referendum, and recall.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
The space agency recommends putting on your glasses and finding a bright light.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 6 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near recommend
Cite this Entry
“Recommend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recommend. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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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