Definition of remembernext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word remember distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of remember are recall, recollect, remind, and reminisce. While all these words 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

When would recall be a good substitute for remember?

The synonyms recall and remember are sometimes interchangeable, but recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

When can recollect be used instead of remember?

The words recollect and remember can be used in similar contexts, but recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When could remind be used to replace remember?

Although the words remind and remember have much in common, remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

In what contexts can reminisce take the place of remember?

While in some cases nearly identical to remember, reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of remember And remember, the market needs to be there as well. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026 Venus Williams remembers, at 14 years old, her mother sewing her first tennis skirt. Max Berlinger, Vogue, 4 May 2026 Who remembers the holding midfielder? Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 May 2026 The name came from one friend, Mike Basso, who remembered what another, Red Murff, a former big-league pitcher and longtime scout (who famously discovered Nolan Ryan), had taught them before passing — to be a keeper of the game. Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for remember
Recent Examples of Synonyms for remember
recall
Verb
  • Hostile former customers recalled poor customer service and flight experiences, while the more charitable lamented that the affordable airline could no longer offer a trade-off of service for a better price.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2026
  • Smyre recalled that Scott would go into the well during tense House-Senate moments and lay into him when Smyre was House Rules chair.
    Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 2 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Remember.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/remember. Accessed 8 May. 2026.

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