recitation

noun

rec·​i·​ta·​tion ˌre-sə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of enumerating

a recitation of relevant details

2

: the act or an instance of reading or repeating aloud especially publicly

3

a

: a student's oral reply to questions

b

: a class period especially in association with and for review of a lecture

Examples of recitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These audio summaries aren’t robotic recitations of facts. —Roger Dooley, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

Explaining the convoluted document would require nothing less than a long recitation of Catholic history. —Diego Javier Luis, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2024

This recitation of names creates a powerful ritual. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2024

But his granular chronology of Calhoun’s activities sometimes slides too deep into a recitation of media coverage, conference talks and intricate experiments. —Ben Goldfarb, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

recitation

noun

rec·​i·​ta·​tion ˌres-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a complete telling or listing of something

2

: the act or an instance of reading or repeating aloud especially before an audience

3

: a student's oral reply to questions