recommend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to present as worthy of confidence, acceptance, use, etc.; commend; mention favorably.
to recommend an applicant for a job; to recommend a book.
- Antonyms:
- condemn
-
to represent or urge as advisable or expedient.
to recommend caution.
-
to advise, as an alternative; suggest (a choice, course of action, etc.) as appropriate, beneficial, or the like.
He recommended the blue-plate special. The doctor recommended special exercises for her.
- Synonyms:
- counsel
-
to make desirable or attractive.
a plan that has very little to recommend it.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to advise as the best course or choice; counsel
to recommend prudence
-
to praise or commend
to recommend a new book
-
to make attractive or advisable
the trip has little to recommend it
-
archaic to entrust (a person or thing) to someone else's care; commend
Usage
Spelling tips for recommend The word recommend is hard to spell because it is tricky to know whether the c, the m, and/or the n is doubled. How to spell recommend: The easiest way to remember how to spell recommend is to break it into three parts: re - com - mend. You can keep these three sections in mind with the sentence: "I recommend that you rely commonly on mending."
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
recommendernoun
-
prerecommendverb (used with object)
-
recommendableadjective
-
unrecommendableadjective
-
unrecommendedadjective
-
well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recommendsimple
-
recommendssimple
-
have recommendedperfect
-
has recommendedperfect
-
am recommendingprogressive
-
are recommendingprogressive
-
is recommendingprogressive
-
have been recommendingperfect progressive
-
has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
-
recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
-
was recommendingprogressive
-
were recommendingprogressive
-
had been recommendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recommend
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English recommenden, from Medieval Latin recommendāre; equivalent to re- + commend
Explanation
If you recommend a person or thing is to vouch for them. Recommend can also be to advise. If your doctor recommended an exercise program to you that's changed your life, you might recommend your doctor to your friends. Recommend is connected to the verb commend "to praise." They are both spelled with one c and two m's, reflecting the prefixes re- and com-. These verbs overlap in some uses: you can recommend or commend an applicant for employment. But commend is used for special or public praise: "He was commended for bravery."
Vocabulary lists containing recommend
"the insanity of selling junk food"
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Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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Encourage
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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:
"I had friends who probably wouldn't describe themselves as birders, but more just curious about nature and the world around them, recommend it to me," Megan said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
To help get your weekend off to a happy start, I recommend:
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
If you’re starting out or you’re already a host, I highly recommend having software in place for property management, cleaning and pricing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
I recommend them especially to older and more conservative investors, and I think TIPS, not regular Treasurys, are the real “risk-free asset” — at least to the extent there is such a thing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Here’s what I recommend, and what most publishers do these days.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
While CDC guidance recommends thoroughly washing even prewashed produce, food-safety experts generally disagreed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
A blueprint for No 10 North produced by the think tank Re:State recommends a workforce of as many as 300 staff within 18 months.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
A 2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health scientific statement from the American Heart Association recommends minimizing added sugar in foods and beverages.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
UC also “strongly” recommends a fourth year of math and recommends a third year of science.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Lighthouse International recommends 16 to 18 point font depending upon typefaces.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
By age 80 and beyond, a more conservative allocation is often recommended, with 20% in stocks, 50% in bonds and 30% in cash or cash equivalents.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
I recommended to John Carroll, the then-editor of the paper, that he make her a columnist and urged Babitz to write him directly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
She also said activities can get booked up far in advance, so recommended calling early to secure a spot.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
For example, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, working for President Richard Nixon at the time, recommended George M. White to be the architect of the Capitol; Nixon liked the idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
A classic case, she said, and recommended that the child be pulled from the mainstream and sent to a special school.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The vote followed hours of presentations by FDA scientists who urged against recommending greater access to BPC-157, as well as public comment on both sides of the issue.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The city is recommending “tamper-resistant steel cages around the units,” locking all exterior ladders and setting up motion-activated security cameras that would immediately notify business owners or landlords about unauthorized rooftop activity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Shoshana Rubli was a young woman living abroad when her therapist surprised her by recommending she cut off her mom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Former Conservative justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland, who launched a review into MP security after the death of Amess, said he had been recommending an increase in security for some political figures.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
I knew now that the club was nearing its end, and I rose and stated my gloomy conclusions, recommending that the club dissolve.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
