remember

American  

[ri-mem-ber] / rɪˈmɛm bər /

verb (used with object)

• remembers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• remembered,
  past participle,  past
• remembering
  present participle

1. to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; think of again.

   I'll try to remember the exact date.

   Antonyms:

   forget

2. to retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of.

   Remember your appointment with the dentist.

   Antonyms:

   forget

3. to have (something) come into the mind again.

   I just remembered that it's your birthday today.

4. to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee.

   The company always remembers us at Christmas.

5. to give a tip, donation, or gift to.

   to remember someone in need.

6. to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings.

   Remember me to your family.

7. (of an appliance, computer, etc.) to perform (a programmed activity) at a later time or according to a preset schedule.

   The coffeepot remembers to start the coffee at 7 a.m. every day.

8. Archaic. to remind.

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verb (used without object)

• remembers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• remembered,
  past participle,  past
• remembering
  present participle

1. to possess or exercise the faculty of memory.

2. to have recollection (sometimes followed byof ).

   The old man remembers of his youth.

remember British  

/ rɪˈmɛmbə /

verb

1. to become aware of (something forgotten) again; bring back to one's consciousness; recall

2. to retain (an idea, intention, etc) in one's conscious mind

   to remember Pythagoras' theorem

   remember to do one's shopping

3. (tr) to give money, etc, to (someone), as in a will or in tipping

4. to mention (a person's name) to another person, as by way of greeting or friendship

   remember me to your mother

5. (tr) to mention (a person) favourably, as in prayer

6. (tr) to commemorate (a person, event, etc)

   to remember the dead of the wars

7. to recover one's good manners after a lapse; stop behaving badly

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Synonym Usage

Remember, recall, recollect refer to bringing back before the conscious mind things which exist in the memory. Remember implies that a thing exists in the memory, though not actually present in the thoughts at the moment: to remember the days of one's childhood. Recall implies a voluntary effort, though not a great one: to recall the words of a song. Recollect implies an earnest voluntary effort to remember some definite, desired fact or thing: I cannot recollect the exact circumstances.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rememberer
  noun
• rememberable
  adjective
• unremembered
  adjective
• unremembering
  adjective
• well-remembered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• remembering
  present
• remembered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• remember
  simple
• remembers
  simple
• have remembered
  perfect
• has remembered
  perfect
• am remembering
  progressive
• are remembering
  progressive
• is remembering
  progressive
• have been remembering
  perfect progressive
• has been remembering
  perfect progressive

Past

• remembered
  simple
• had remembered
  perfect
• was remembering
  progressive
• were remembering
  progressive
• had been remembering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will remember
  simple
• will have remembered
  perfect
• will be remembering
  progressive
• will have been remembering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of remember

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English remembren, from Old French remembrer, from Late Latin rememorārī, equivalent to re- re- + Latin memor “mindful” ( see memory) + -ārī infinitive suffix

Explanation

To remember is to recollect, or to call upon your memory. Remember that time you fell out of your tree house and bonked your head? No? Go figure. There are many shades of meaning of remember, but at its core it refers to the act of recalling or thinking back. You can remember something fondly, like your first kiss, or you might remember something suddenly, like when the smell of tar brings back the time your bicycle wheel got caught in a pot hole and you fell off. To remember someone means you show appreciation, like when the Oscar winners try to remember all those names.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remember remembers remembered remembering

I remember walking home from Compton High carrying my paintings when I ran into him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The book “made me recognize how powerful the desire to forget is, and also how powerful the desire to remember is,” said Oprah.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

"I remember controlling the ball in the box and there was momentum carrying everyone away from the goal," Robson-Kanu says.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

That silence makes sense once you remember Pirro’s origins.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

I remember her baggy, unwashed clothes, her messy bun, her watery eyes.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

He remembers receiving one of the coats from the project.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley with her parents, both Taiwanese immigrants, Wang remembers regularly attending First Chinese Baptist Church on Yale Street with her family.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The actor remembers asking star-writer-director-EP Noah Wyle if Cloverfield would die.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Pedrollo remembers a four or five-year-old De Zerbi being mascot, when he would follow the side home and away with his father.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Ishtar shines with the joy of battle, and she remembers what it is to be a goddess, to hold mortal fates in her hands.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

To be sure, they all wished to be remembered, but they did not want to be embalmed.”

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

"To the world, he will always be remembered as the unforgettable 'Big Pussy,' but to those of us who knew him, he was so much more," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Robert Attermann, Pastore's manager, told CBS News: "To the world, he will always be remembered as the unforgettable 'Big Pussy,' but to those of us who knew him, he was so much more."

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

It is because I remembered that in the McLean Hamlet, Dunsinane Court branches off from Birnam Wood Drive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

I remembered Papa’s hugs, how safe they used to make me feel, how loved.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

We wanted to show Cuba because it’s remembering our dad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

But then a beat later, she laughs it off and dives in, remembering that her husband showed her an Instagram post from Nolan’s set revealing how the movie’s Cyclops was, in fact, a puppet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

They discovered that tau is not necessary for learning something new or remembering it shortly afterward.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

It is also worth remembering that Messi's greatest tournament from the penalty spot came only four years ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

I closed my eyes, remembering when Granda taught me my first song: “Wee Falorie Man.”

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Related Words

• commemorate
• get
• learn
• look back
• recall
• recognize
• relive
• remind