reminisce

verb

rem·​i·​nisce ˌre-mə-ˈnis How to pronounce reminisce (audio)
reminisced; reminiscing
reminiscer noun

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What Comes to Mind When Thinking of reminisce?

Reminisce and its relative reminiscence come from the mind—that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is mens. A root related to mens teamed up with the prefix re- to create the Latin verb reminisci ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. Reminisce is one of several English verbs starting with re- that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind." Others in this group include remember, recall, remind, and recollect. Reminisce distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia.

Choose the Right Synonym for reminisce

remember, recollect, recall, remind, reminisce mean to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind.

remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Examples of reminisce in a Sentence

Ray pauses to point out the Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Boulevard, and reminisces about the night Elvis Presley went there to see the Kinks play. David Wild, Rolling Stone, 13 May 1993
When relatives reminisce about my great-grandfather, they almost always precede it with some reference to his affection for me. Donna Tartt, Harper's, July 1992
We had apple fritters, roast chicken, an enormous lunch, with Mrs. Truman talkative, easy, and the President reminiscing and telling jokes. Lady Bird Johnson 2 Sept. 1965,, A White House Diary1970
He reminisced with old buddies at his high school reunion. She reminisced about her time in Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web From Sharon Stone’s timeless red lips and Liza Minelli’s fluttery lashes to Cindy Crawford’s beachy waves and Drew Barrymore’s ’90s oxblood lip–here, Vogue charts 19 of the best vintage Oscars beauty looks worth reminiscing on. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2024 The show’s final scenes brought The Coterie family together for one last group dinner to share their next career moves, and to reminisce about their lingering legacy around the rooftop pool. Megan Vick, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Boston’s dominant offensive performance had four-time champion Curry reminiscing after the game. Sam Joseph, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Since the voluntary shutdown, he’s received a flood of calls and emails from people reminiscing about their memories of the chapel and concerned for its survival. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Despite her fondness for reminiscing, Forsythe isn't stuck in the past. Susan Young, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Wear this to catch up with your family or partner about the best game drive moments of the day, reminiscing about your Big Five sightings. Rana Good, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The president — who was sporting a flag pin on his lapel featuring the American and Ukrainian flags in the midst of a fight in Congress over further funding for the war in Ukraine — also sat on the couch with Poehler to reminisce about his guest spot on Parks and Recreation. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024 After the customer left, the shop got quiet and Kropp and Tran reminisced. Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reminisce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from reminiscence

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reminisce was in 1829

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Dictionary Entries Near reminisce

Cite this Entry

“Reminisce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reminisce. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reminisce

verb
rem·​i·​nisce ˌrem-ə-ˈnis How to pronounce reminisce (audio)
reminisced; reminiscing
: to talk or think about things that happened in the past
reminisced about old times

More from Merriam-Webster on reminisce

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