recommend
verb
rec·om·mend
ˌre-kə-ˈmend 
recommended; recommending; recommends
1
2
: to suggest (an act or course of action) as advisable
I recommend that you avoid the downtown during rush hour.
We highly/strongly recommend that you update your operating system.
Follow-up treatment is recommended.
3
: to make (someone or something) acceptable or attractive
a location with many features to recommend it
—often used in phrases like have little to recommend it and have much to recommend it… the village had little to recommend it other than the panoramic view …—
Paul L. Hall
Paul L. Hall… this style of travel has much to recommend it.—Doug and Bobbe Tatreau
Doug and Bobbe Tatreau"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant … ."—Jane Austen
Jane AustenThis approach has a lot to recommend it, but it has some downsides too.—Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular
Herminia Ibarra and Anne ScoularUsed with discretion, the technique has something to recommend it …—Edward J. Foster
Edward J. FosterHe was not well educated; he had nothing to recommend him but his youth and his love for her.—Charles W. Chestnutt
Charles W. Chestnutt… dancing is a terrific form of exercise that has everything to recommend it …—Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil
recommender
noun
see also recommended entry 2
Synonyms
Examples of recommend in a Sentence
There is much besides fishing to recommend a trip to this sleepy fishing village …
—Peter Kaminsky, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2002
… you feel as if you've left the world behind, down below, and that the only way to rejoin it is to let go and plummet straight down. Erice is not the first place I'd recommend to the acrophobic.
—Francine Prose, Atlantic, December 2002
Many of the jobs, and especially those that paid well, had been parcelled out to candidates—mostly white males—whose applications signified that they had been recommended by well-placed political figures.
—Andy Logan, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 1989
If he'd bailed out with the rest of his crew—or been evacuated from the area at once as his regimental surgeon had recommended—perhaps he would have recovered fully …
—Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1988
A friend recommended this restaurant.
I can't decide between the lasagna and the salmon. Which do you recommend?
They recommended her for a promotion after only two years.
The film is recommended to anyone who liked her earlier movies.
It is strongly recommended that you change the oil in your car every 5,000 miles.
Take only the recommended dose of cough syrup.
You may decide to pursue the matter in court, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Peter Kaminsky, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2002
… you feel as if you've left the world behind, down below, and that the only way to rejoin it is to let go and plummet straight down. Erice is not the first place I'd recommend to the acrophobic.
—Francine Prose, Atlantic, December 2002
Many of the jobs, and especially those that paid well, had been parcelled out to candidates—mostly white males—whose applications signified that they had been recommended by well-placed political figures.
—Andy Logan, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 1989
If he'd bailed out with the rest of his crew—or been evacuated from the area at once as his regimental surgeon had recommended—perhaps he would have recovered fully …
—Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1988
A friend recommended this restaurant.
I can't decide between the lasagna and the salmon. Which do you recommend?
They recommended her for a promotion after only two years.
The film is recommended to anyone who liked her earlier movies.
It is strongly recommended that you change the oil in your car every 5,000 miles.
Take only the recommended dose of cough syrup.
You may decide to pursue the matter in court, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Recent Examples on the Web
City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, the top budget official, has recommended the removal of at least 1,974 vacant positions, about half of them at agencies dealing with parks, transportation, sanitation and animal shelters.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The old-school public option still has a lot to recommend it: Use Medicare’s systems and provider network to gradually extend affordable coverage — with premiums set to recover full actuarial costs, offset by ACA subsidies for eligible households.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2024
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn’t recommend a specific sleeping apparatus for babies.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
The Wisconsin Lottery recommends arriving by 3:30 p.m. for most prizes and 2 p.m. for prizes of $50,000 or more to allow enough time to process your ticket.
—Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
Health experts do not recommend walking in the rain during severe weather conditions or when there are safety hazards such as flash flooding and lightning.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 19 Apr. 2024
The after-action report also recommends that officials undertake an analysis of the island’s cellular system.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Rebecca Boone, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
Then, there’s the issue of TikTok’s algorithm, the app’s secret sauce that recommends videos to users.
—Mary Clare Jalonick and Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
However, basal thermometers are not 100% accurate, so don't use this as the primary way to track ovulation, Dr. Sparks recommends.
—Latifah Miles, Parents, 8 Apr. 2024
David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The old-school public option still has a lot to recommend it: Use Medicare’s systems and provider network to gradually extend affordable coverage — with premiums set to recover full actuarial costs, offset by ACA subsidies for eligible households.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2024
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn’t recommend a specific sleeping apparatus for babies.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
The Wisconsin Lottery recommends arriving by 3:30 p.m. for most prizes and 2 p.m. for prizes of $50,000 or more to allow enough time to process your ticket.
—Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
Health experts do not recommend walking in the rain during severe weather conditions or when there are safety hazards such as flash flooding and lightning.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 19 Apr. 2024
The after-action report also recommends that officials undertake an analysis of the island’s cellular system.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Rebecca Boone, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
Then, there’s the issue of TikTok’s algorithm, the app’s secret sauce that recommends videos to users.
—Mary Clare Jalonick and Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
However, basal thermometers are not 100% accurate, so don't use this as the primary way to track ovulation, Dr. Sparks recommends.
—Latifah Miles, Parents, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recommend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near recommend
Cite this Entry
“Recommend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recommend. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recommend
verb
rec·om·mend
ˌrek-ə-ˈmend
1
: to make a statement in praise of
recommend a person for a promotion
2
: to cause to receive favorable attention
children recommended by their good manners
3
: to put forward or suggest as one's advice, as one's choice, or as having one's support
recommender
noun
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