reminisce

verb

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

Did you know?

What comes to mind when thinking of reminisce?

Do you remember, say, the 21st night of September? Fantastic. Earth, Wind, and Fire does, too, on their classic hit from 1978, “September.” More than remember, the band reminisces—that is, they share details and express feelings about what they remember: dancing, a bell ringing, souls singing, et al. Reminisce distinguishes itself from words like remember and recollect by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia. Reminisce and its relatives reminiscence and reminiscent all trace back to the Latin verb reminisci, meaning “remember.” Reminisci in turn shares roots with mens, the Latin word for “mind.”

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Perry last played metro Phoenix in 2018 when Witness: The Tour hit Glendale for a night at what's now called Desert Diamond Arena, where the singer reminisced about her childhood in the Valley. Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 9 July 2025 Grohl’s lengthy statement reminisces about encountering Nate Mendel for the first time on Thanksgiving in 1994, and how that chance meeting resulted in the birth of the Foo Fighters. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2025 In the caption, Beckham reminisced on his time in the famous venue while opening up on the joy fatherhood has brought him. Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025 Following O’Keefe’s death, Read spent the first few months mourning and reminiscing about her relationship and trying to distract herself by wallpapering the house, cooking with her mother, and reading, Vanity Fair reported. Jordana Comiter, People.com, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for reminisce

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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Cite this Entry

“Reminisce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reminisce. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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