recall 1 of 2

recall

2 of 2

noun

1
as in recollection
a particular act or instance of recalling or the thing remembered his recall of the events of that turbulent time is significantly different from the accounts of other eyewitnesses

Synonyms & Similar Words

2

Synonym Chooser

How is the word recall distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of recall are recollect, remember, remind, and reminisce. While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

In what contexts can recollect take the place of recall?

The words recollect and recall are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When can remember be used instead of recall?

The meanings of remember and recall largely overlap; however, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

When is it sensible to use remind instead of recall?

Although the words remind and recall have much in common, remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

When could reminisce be used to replace recall?

While in some cases nearly identical to recall, reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of recall
Verb
Mamdani’s communications chief recalled a press conference the campaign did for tenants rights. Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 June 2025 These board members are unfit to serve and must be recalled to restore accountability and public confidence. U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2025
Noun
Amazon’s Zoox issued a voluntary recall and paused testing earlier this year after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a crash in Las Vegas. Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 Wegmans chocolate recall: Affected products Consumers who have purchased the Wegmans Semi-Sweet Chocolate Nonpareils with specific lot codes are urged to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for recall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recall
Verb
  • Just remember to eat a balanced diet, too—this is a supplement, after all!
    Simon Hill, Wired News, 10 July 2025
  • And remember to tap into any loyal summer camp alumni (often a lifetime legacy).
    Jill Tipograph, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Twenty-four flights have been canceled at DIA as of 4:30 p.m. A ground delay has been issued at DIA from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 8 July 2025
  • Here’s what should happen: If an accommodation provider cancels your reservation, which is what appeared to have happen, then Booking.com should have notified you as soon as possible — not three days before your trip.
    Christopher Elliott The Travel Troubleshooter, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • This has dramatic implications for legal proceedings, the spread of misinformation and our ability to trust our own recollections.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • In touch with the album's theme of recollection, Phantogram wrote some new songs for the record from scratch, but also pulled from their ever-growing file of song ideas running throughout their career.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • Retired repos add risk: When maintainers abandon a namespace, attackers can adopt it and push trojan updates.
    Syed Ahmed, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Never desert a blaze: Avoid abandoning any fire without supervision.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • That memory became the blueprint for Doble Reina: pieces that are tactile, warm, ambiguous and deeply personal.
    Javier Hasse, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Friends and family flooded the comments with words of sympathy and cherished memories of Page.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • However, independent reviews indicated costs ballooning to up to $11 billion, and MSR faces cancellation in Trump administration budget proposals for 2026.
    Andrew Jones, Space.com, 8 July 2025
  • The teen describes the cancellation as a last resort after years of feeling dismissed.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • By April 8, plans for John Cale to produce had been scrapped.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2025
  • And his beef with Trump—and those who empowered him to balloon the national debt while scrapping subsidies for Musk’s EV empire—is for now at least limitless.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 7 July 2025
Verb
  • The agencies are also revoking approval for two food colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B—and plan to approve four new natural colorings for food.
    Alice Park, Time, 7 July 2025
  • Reservations required: Which national parks require them in 2025 Unrelated, the executive order also revokes a presidential memorandum signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2017 that promoted a range of diversity and inclusion efforts in the management of national parks and other public lands.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 5 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Recall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recall. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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