reminisce

verb

rem·​i·​nisce ˌre-mə-ˈnis How to pronounce reminisce (audio)
reminisced; reminiscing
reminiscer noun

Did you know?

What comes to mind when thinking of reminisce?

Do you remember, say, the 21st night of September? Fantastic. Earth, Wind, and Fire does, too, on their classic hit from 1978, “September.” More than remember, the band reminisces—that is, they share details and express feelings about what they remember: dancing, a bell ringing, souls singing, et al. Reminisce distinguishes itself from words like remember and recollect by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia. Reminisce and its relatives reminiscence and reminiscent all trace back to the Latin verb reminisci, meaning “remember.” Reminisci in turn shares roots with mens, the Latin word for “mind.”

Choose the Right Synonym for reminisce

remember, recollect, recall, remind, reminisce mean to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind.

remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can 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

remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Examples of reminisce in a Sentence

Ray pauses to point out the Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Boulevard, and reminisces about the night Elvis Presley went there to see the Kinks play. David Wild, Rolling Stone, 13 May 1993
When relatives reminisce about my great-grandfather, they almost always precede it with some reference to his affection for me. Donna Tartt, Harper's, July 1992
We had apple fritters, roast chicken, an enormous lunch, with Mrs. Truman talkative, easy, and the President reminiscing and telling jokes. Lady Bird Johnson 2 Sept. 1965,, A White House Diary1970
He reminisced with old buddies at his high school reunion. She reminisced about her time in Europe.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Harp, who is raising his orphaned niece, Dell, after her mother is murdered, never reminisces with Dell about his sister; the Antidote and Cleo both do their best not to have meaningful conversations with anyone at all. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 27 June 2025 Tina also reminisced about Solange's teenage years and her constant creativity. Marina Watts, People.com, 25 June 2025 Memories from 2024-25 After winning 44 regular-season games, the most since 2018-19 and the third most in franchise history, and advancing to the Calder Cup Finals, the Checkers faithful have plenty to reminisce on after Monday night’s season-ending loss. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2025 Eric Knight, 29, reminisced about his childhood years spent inside Cassell’s. Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for reminisce

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from reminiscence

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reminisce was in 1829

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Cite this Entry

“Reminisce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reminisce. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

reminisce

verb
rem·​i·​nisce ˌrem-ə-ˈnis How to pronounce reminisce (audio)
reminisced; reminiscing
: to talk or think about things that happened in the past
reminisced about old times

More from Merriam-Webster on reminisce

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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