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

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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

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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 thinking if we were ever going to see any positive change, it was going to be then.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

"Nice welcome back to tour. I remember why I left," said the Londoner in the accompanying message.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Look, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional free steak or salmon dinner, provided you remember that you are a potential customer and the organizers will have dollar signs in their eyes.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

“I remember the eventual cry that I had about the Olivia tour, just being like, ‘This is different.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

She waits a beat and then whispers, “If this is really what you want, I can’t stop you. But remember this isn’t just about one person.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Rekha, a widow, remembers the colony with longing.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Holly Madison remembers the exact moment she first saw her charming Hollywoodland tudor.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

With the deal on the table, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio remembers pacing at home in his kitchen, trying to decide whether to proceed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

This LAX, unlike the island of civility and good manners Maksik remembers from childhood, fosters alienation and dread.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

“But I’m not sure. She told them how they better dress if they were going to Europe. She said that bustles are over. Bustles are completely over in Europe. Nobody even remembers bustles.”

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

As she paid tribute to Wright, she also remembered another late member of the “Ellen” family: dancer and DJ Stephen “Twitch” Boss who died in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Joyce said the current selloff would likely be remembered as a “blip” by market historians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Tiny pinewood bonfires burned through the night at a mountain cemetery as the largely Christian Philippines remembered its dead, turning the fog-shrouded hilltop into a vast, fragrant altar of light.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

As much as the absence of his own children hurt, you were all there for him, and he remembered that in his will.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

I remembered his hand on my shoulder, guiding me on our bicycles through the blacked-out streets to Pickwick’s.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Visiting the museum, which he described as "important for remembering Jewish history and civilisation", 74-year-old Ramzi al-Saadi recalled his Jewish neighbours as a child on Baghdad's al-Kifah Street.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

But part of maintaining its heart and charm is remembering that at its core, “it’s kind of a small operation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

It’s worth remembering that there’s no Eden from which journalism today has fallen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Fernandez suggests that placing excessive emphasis on remembering precise details could work against the brain's changing priorities.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

“Maybe her son’s stuck in traffic,” Natalie said, remembering Shannon’s picture of the interstate.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

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Related Words

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

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