recount
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recounts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recounted,
past participle, past
-
recounting
present participle
-
to relate or narrate; tell in detail; give the facts or particulars of.
- Synonyms:
- describe
-
to narrate in order.
-
to tell one by one; enumerate.
verb
Synonym Usage
See relate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recountsimple
-
recountssimple
-
have recountedperfect
-
has recountedperfect
-
am recountingprogressive
-
are recountingprogressive
-
is recountingprogressive
-
have been recountingperfect progressive
-
has been recountingperfect progressive
Past
-
recountedsimple
-
had recountedperfect
-
was recountingprogressive
-
were recountingprogressive
-
had been recountingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recount
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English recounten, from Middle French reconter, equivalent to re- + conter “to tell, count.” See re-, count 1
Explanation
As a verb, recount can mean either "tell the story of" or "add up again." As a noun, recount usually refers to the second (or third or fourth) tallying of votes in a close election. The word count comes from the old French conter, which means "add up" or "tell a story." Here's a story to recount (narrate): In an election featuring Count Dracula and Count Johnson, Dracula wins by two votes, so Johnson demands a recount (an adding up of the votes again). The officials recount (count again) the votes, and this time find Count Johnson the winner. Dracula threatens to bite the officials and they quickly change their minds.
Vocabulary lists containing recount
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The podcast will recount Mizuhara’s life before he began working for Ohtani in 2013 when both were with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
During her police interviews, "it was already very difficult to recount the events for the first time", she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Hence, this gem of an anthology series, wherein real-life residents recount the stories that made them regionally famous or nationally infamous, while familiar actors and comedians recreate their stories.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Throughout the Africa Eye documentary, survivors, now in their 70s and 80s, recount their experiences of living and fighting during a period that shaped the lives of millions and still has relevance today.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Werner Kranz and Heinrich Mohns recount the events of January 20, when Herr Mohns caught Helmuth trying to press a leaflet into Werner's hand.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The majority’s decision in Barbara recounts how before the 14th Amendment’s ratification, Americans followed the long-standing common-law rule making persons born on American soil citizens by birth.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
She recounts a night when musicians from the Troubadour celebrated the end of the Vietnam War at Dan Tana’s; the event went undocumented, lost to history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Daily Mail also recounts the details of the suspect in Widdecombe's murder, describing him as a "loner" who "left his house with a pole".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
It recounts the titular hero's 10-year quest to return home from war and includes some of the most famous Ancient Greek myths, including one-eyed monster Cyclops and the Sirens.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Fm the one she recounts her growing list of ailments to.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Their journey deep into hostile territory and back has been recounted by many writers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
This production feels like a fleeting moment — a reunion of friends and collaborators retelling a myth that is recounted over and over again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Amid the clamour of the machines, Fode Yattabare recounted to AFP how his company Kaera started in a small apartment in the late 2000s.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
She recounted having to navigate a "winding route" to reach the washroom, and noted that the exits were not well marked.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
As I found a new outfit for the honey-colored Barbie in my hand and combed her thick black hair, I recounted my tale of woe to my little sister.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
I had no quarrel with Cole recounting that lamentable story alongside mine, but we did have one occasional difference of emphasis.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Sometimes they featured celebrities recounting past glories or promoting their newest releases.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
On a summer afternoon, his daughters, Gabrielle and Katerina, sit at the Sunset Marquis bar, recounting their father’s remarkable life — particularly his championing of soccer and his contributions to the sport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
"One of them answers and says he's wounded in the stomach," he said, recounting how their father and another brother were using a pickaxe and a sledgehammer to try to break them free.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
And, unfortunately, at that moment I realized that all my pee-mantra meditations with Mr. Farrow and the recounting of the story actually did make me want to pee, but I wasn’t about to move, either.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
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.
