Synonyms of recall

recall 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈkȯl 

1

as in to remember

to bring back to mind

I don't recall meeting you before

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in to cancel

to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to)

I'll recall my purchase order if the company refuses to guarantee that it'll arrive before Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cancel
• abandon
• scrap
• revoke
• abort
• repeal
• call off
• rescind
• call
• scrub
• withdraw
• suspend
• reverse
• cry off
• invalidate
• drop
• terminate
• retract
• interrupt
• end
• stop
• recant
• halt
• nullify
• take back
• write off
• discontinue
• annul
• roll back
• void
• abrogate
• hold back
• countermand
• relinquish
• break off
• give up
• surrender

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continue
• keep
• begin
• engage
• start
• initiate
• promise
• pledge
• undertake
• take up
• commence
• take on

recall

2 of 2

noun

ri-ˈkȯl 

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

• recollection
• memory
• memorial
• reminiscence
• remembrance
• anamnesis
• reminder
• token
• souvenir
• flashback
• memento
• association

2

as in cancelation

the act of putting an end to something planned or previously agreed to

we can't get a refund on the plane tickets, so the trip is beyond recall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cancelation
• cancellation
• repeal
• abandonment
• calling
• revocation
• abolition
• rescission
• abortion
• dropping
• recision
• calling off
• ending
• stopping
• termination
• surrender
• invalidation
• nullification
• reversal
• annulment
• neutralization
• halting
• relinquishment
• abolishment
• rollback
• voidance
• giving up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continuation
• beginning
• initiation
• undertaking
• engagement
• commencement

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

Recent Examples of recall

Verb

Tyler’s imprisonment at the nearby Willow Hill Psychiatric Facility—whose grimy environs recall Batman’s Arkham Asylum, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and so many other fictional houses of psychological horrors—is the site of a promising new (but easily spoiled) subplot. —Judy Berman, Time, 6 Aug. 2025

Jail staff recalled those inmates back to their housing units, and wouldn’t let their lawyers leave the Metropolitan Detention Center for about a half hour as the drama unfolded outside, the attorneys said. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025

Noun

On August 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration categorized the recall as Class II. —Matt Cannon, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025

Lawmakers faced recalls and threats, including by one man who was arrested for sending Fields harassing messages. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025