reminisce

verb

rem·​i·​nisce ˌre-mə-ˈnis 

reminisced; reminiscing

intransitive verb

: to indulge in reminiscence

reminiscer

ˌre-mə-ˈni-sər 

noun

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What Comes to Mind When Thinking of reminisce?

Reminisce and its relative reminiscence come from the mind—that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is mens. A root related to mens teamed up with the prefix re- to create the Latin verb reminisci ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. Reminisce is one of several English verbs starting with re- that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind." Others in this group include remember, recall, remind, and recollect. Reminisce distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia.

Synonyms

• flash back (to)
• hark back (to)
• harken back (to)
• hearken back (to)
• mind [chiefly dialect]
• recall
• recollect
• remember
• reproduce
• think (of)

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 Diary,  1970

He reminisced with old buddies at his high school reunion.

She reminisced about her time in Europe.

Recent Examples on the Web

The special finds Iglesias in his 27th year in comedy, reminiscing on the perils of life: from dating, to home break-ins, to turbulent plane rides. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024

The ladies reminisce on past collaboration projects, and give relationship advice to a call-in fan. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 10 Dec. 2024

Williams also swapped stories about raising daughters with foundation president Laura Sachs, caught up with entrepreneur Tammy Farley, and reminisced with Amanda Polk over their ties to Cincoro Tequila. —Sasha Pinto, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024

During an appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, Murray, 64, reminisced on his experiences on the famous sketch comedy show. —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from reminiscence

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

reminisce

verb

rem·​i·​nisce ˌrem-ə-ˈnis 

reminisced; reminiscing

: to talk or think about things that happened in the past

reminisced about old times