recite

verb

re·​cite ri-ˈsīt 

recited; reciting

transitive verb

1

: to repeat from memory or read aloud publicly

2

a

: to relate in full

recites dull anecdotes

b

: to give a recital of : detail

recited a catalog of offenses

3

: to repeat or answer questions about (a lesson)

intransitive verb

1

: to repeat or read aloud something memorized or prepared

2

: to reply to a teacher's question on a lesson

reciter noun

Synonyms of recite

• describe
• tell
• narrate
• recount
• relate
• chronicle

Examples of recite in a Sentence

He recited the poem with great feeling.

He began to recite from the Koran.

He can easily recite all the facts about any player on the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

Daisy falls asleep that night reciting the same hushed prayer that the Pearl Girls invoked for her back in Toronto. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026

In the first pages of Odessa, Yetta’s mother Frieda recites the Shechechiyanu prayer to herself while immersed in the mikvah, a ritual bath in a freshwater spring. —Literary Hub, 4 May 2026

Laurel Hill president and ceo Nancy Goldenberg recited Joyce Kilmer's famous poem about trees to begin the ceremony. —Siafa Lewis, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026

Instead, Becerra recited his resume with the vigor of someone rattling off his LinkedIn page. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to relate, state, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reciter, from Latin recitare to recite, from re- + citare to summon — more at cite

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for recite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

recite

verb

re·​cite ri-ˈsīt 

recited; reciting

1

: to repeat from memory or read aloud before an audience

recite a poem

2

: to tell all the details of

3

: to answer questions about a lesson

reciter noun