of late occurrence, appearance, or origin; lately happening, done, made, etc..
recent events; a recent trip.
not long past.
in recent years.
of or belonging to a time not long past.
Geology. Recent. noting or pertaining to the present epoch, originating at the end of the glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, and forming the latter half of the Quaternary Period; Holocene.
See modern.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin recent- (stem of recēns ) “fresh, new”
If something is recent, it happened in the immediate past or not long ago. You are a recent fan of yoga if you just started liking it in the past week or two. If you talk about something that happened in recent months or years, it means the last one to three months or years. Otherwise, recent means new or just happened. It’s particularly useful when you don’t know exactly when something happened, but you know it wasn’t long ago. Perhaps you have been a recent guest star on a show, and your recent movies have been very successful. You know it wasn’t long ago at all and you are still a star!
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"DRC is one of the world's most complex humanitarian crises. Recent cuts in humanitarian funding have made the response even harder," he said.
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
Recent examples include signs that investors are borrowing money, or using leveraged ETFs, to chase the AI rally.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
Recent hot weather "presented a few challenges" too but the farm was "pretty resilient and well set up for it", according to McLean.
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
Recent polls have found that a majority of Americans support the doctrine — 69% according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
From Salon • Jul. 1, 2026
Recent events have the house rocking on its foundations.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
