remember
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
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to retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of.
Remember your appointment with the dentist.
- Antonyms:
- forget
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to have (something) come into the mind again.
I just remembered that it's your birthday today.
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to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee.
The company always remembers us at Christmas.
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to give a tip, donation, or gift to.
to remember someone in need.
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to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings.
Remember me to your family.
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(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.
-
Archaic. to remind.
verb (used without object)
-
to possess or exercise the faculty of memory.
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to have recollection (sometimes followed byof ).
The old man remembers of his youth.
verb
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to become aware of (something forgotten) again; bring back to one's consciousness; recall
-
to retain (an idea, intention, etc) in one's conscious mind
to remember Pythagoras' theorem
remember to do one's shopping
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(tr) to give money, etc, to (someone), as in a will or in tipping
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to mention (a person's name) to another person, as by way of greeting or friendship
remember me to your mother
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(tr) to mention (a person) favourably, as in prayer
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(tr) to commemorate (a person, event, etc)
to remember the dead of the wars
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to recover one's good manners after a lapse; stop behaving badly
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
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rememberernoun
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rememberableadjective
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unrememberedadjective
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unrememberingadjective
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well-rememberedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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remembersimple
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rememberssimple
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have rememberedperfect
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has rememberedperfect
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am rememberingprogressive
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are rememberingprogressive
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is rememberingprogressive
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have been rememberingperfect progressive
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has been rememberingperfect progressive
Past
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rememberedsimple
-
had rememberedperfect
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was rememberingprogressive
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were rememberingprogressive
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had been rememberingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing remember
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"The Lotus Seed"
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Total Recall: Mem
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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.
He continued, “I remember George said at the very beginning, ‘There are no good and bad people in this.’
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026
Women must remember how we wield power, and tap it, integrate it, realize it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
"We didn't think it would really happen. I remember sobbing in my bed, thinking that this shouldn't be happening to a 25-year-old."
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026
What Burrows shows share — the ones we remember, at least, out of many we don’t — is that they’re fundamentally joyful.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026
Clare was usually fast asleep by now, moss stuffed in his good ear, and he could not remember the last time he’d soaked in the splendor of All Hallows’ Eve.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
