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
Bears’ 576 yards on Bengals recall … Vince Evans? Mike Sando, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 Fresh peaches are the latest grocery item to be recalled over listeria concerns. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
The recalls cover 163,256 Bronco SUVs for front seats that may have loose bolts, and 56,841 Lincoln and Explorer vehicles due to windshields with visible air bubbles, according to the NHTSA. Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025 Which Tesla cybertruck model is potentially affected by the recall? Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recall
Verb
  • By creating space for these histories in her fictive realm, Pritam strove to remember those on the periphery.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The day Affleck came in, Smith remembers, news broke that Affleck and Matt Damon had sold their script for Good Will Hunting for $800,000.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Barca and Madrid reactions to the Miami game being cancelled was certainly divergent, and there will be lingering tension in the Bernabeu’s VIP areas on Sunday.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The principal didn’t immediately realize the alert had been canceled, a spokesperson for Baltimore County Public Schools told WBAL.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And while Serena did not name the former foe, Venus had her own recollection of what happened behind the scenes.
    Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • But there’s a lot to be gained from listening to first-hand recollections.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Disney is incredibly unlikely to ever admit that politics were a factor in Doctor Who‘s cancellation, but Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension was revealing of the company’s desire to minimize MAGA wrath.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Is this a deep-rooted response to the premature cancellation of your X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, as well as Breaking Bad being on the bubble for several seasons?
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2022, Fox Weather had reported that United Airlines would abandon its request for passengers to open window shades upon landing after quietly beginning to encourage it in 2020.
    Staff Author, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Weekly Newsletter Hamida’s first such meeting is with a twelve-year-old Hindu girl named Kammo, whose father abandoned her after the death of her mother.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • A day when the Stanley Cup years finally ride the synaptic road back to long-term memory and the brain finally bumps the past for the present.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Some of the earliest memories of me with my dad were also with Russell, which is really special.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Democrats have refused to vote for an end to the shutdown until Republicans repeal cutbacks made this summer that would kick millions off Medicaid and end insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the calendar year.
    Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025
  • These partial repeals were less effective, producing smaller and less persistent increases in vaccination rates than those from total repeal.
    Anthony Bald, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • In the final days of the off-year elections, Democrats and Republicans scrapped about plenty.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • That original €600million budget was scrapped in 2021, when Laporta returned to the presidency, with the project barely up and running, never mind close to a finish as intended.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Recall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recall. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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