Synonyms of recollect

recollect 1 of 2

verb (1)

ˌre-kə-ˈlekt 

as in to remember

to bring back to mind

I can't recollect if I turned the stove off or not before leaving the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• remember
• recall
• mind
• think (of)
• reproduce
• remind
• reminisce (about)
• recapture
• hark back (to)
• hearken back (to)
• flash back (to)
• harken back (to)
• evoke
• recur
• extract
• elicit
• relive
• represent
• educe
• raise

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• ignore
• disremember
• lose
• unlearn
• disregard
• miss
• neglect
• overlook
• misremember
• blank (out)

re-collect

2 of 2

verb (2)

ˌrē-kə-ˈlekt 

1

as in to contain

to gain emotional or mental control of

she had to calm down and re-collect herself after being told she had won the lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contain
• compose
• collect
• calm
• control
• restrain
• settle
• recover
• hold back
• rally
• soothe
• still
• lull
• quiet
• tranquilize

2

as in to retrieve

to get again in one's possession

I struggled to re-collect the papers the wind had torn from my hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• retrieve
• recapture
• regain
• recover
• reclaim
• get back
• retake
• reacquire
• recoup
• repossess
• replenish
• recruit
• redeem
• rescue
• repurchase

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lose
• misplace
• mislay

Synonym Chooser

How is the word recollect distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of recollect are recall, remember, remind, and reminisce. While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When can recall be used instead of recollect?

While in some cases nearly identical to 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

When is remember a more appropriate choice than recollect?

While the synonyms remember and recollect are close in meaning, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

Where would remind be a reasonable alternative to recollect?

The words remind and recollect can be used in similar contexts, but remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

In what contexts can reminisce take the place of recollect?

In some situations, the words reminisce and recollect are roughly equivalent. However, reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of recollect

Verb

Through its characters, the book stages an argument about the virtues of various types of maps—those that are measured, those that are recollected, those that are dreamed. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Continually surrounded by well-wishers during an hour of socializing before a formal program of speakers and videos recollecting his career, Lubelfeld listened to what others had to say before speaking himself. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026

With men on first and second, Keller recollected himself and retired the next three batters to preserve the win. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026

But the Bruins recollected themselves, and the flow state returned on the other side of the timeout. — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026