recommend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recommends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recommended,
past participle, past
-
recommending
present participle
-
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)
-
recommends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recommended,
past participle, past
-
recommending
present participle
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
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recommendernoun
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prerecommendverb (used with object)
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recommendableadjective
-
unrecommendableadjective
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unrecommendedadjective
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well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recommendsimple
-
recommendssimple
-
have recommendedperfect
-
has recommendedperfect
-
am recommendingprogressive
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are recommendingprogressive
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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
Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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"the insanity of selling junk food"
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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:
Behavior analysts, he said, could recommend varying hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
As for dessert, I recommend keeping things almost aggressively simple.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The researchers recommend using hurricane forecast graphics alongside local weather predictions and detailed information about possible impacts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk responded to Anthropic’s announcement in an X post, saying: “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,” later adding, “This is what I will be doing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Could you recommend a good book for a girl?” asked Francie.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
She recommends their salary remain a marital asset to show that the marital estate is receiving a benefit from their employment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
If a coyote attacks, the department recommends fighting back and then calling animal control or 911.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Kaiser hence recommends buying IWM call options ahead of CPI data.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The latest draft recommends cutting back the original proposal most heavily in the area that covers international aid, with the cut being 17 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
“General Peckem even recommends that we send our men into combat in full-dress uniform so they’ll make a good impression on the enemy when they’re shot down.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Vail has recommended that its shareholders reject all of the Oasis candidates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
On average over the 50 trading days prior to market bottoms, short-term market timers reduce their recommended equity exposure by 20 percentage points.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
She recommended the Lichen Sclerosus Guide, external which has a diagram and template to help you talk to doctors.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
But the Ocean Protection Council, an agency nested within the California Natural Resources Agency, recommended approving both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
The term before, Mr. Lasher had recommended that I be put into a newly formed rapid advancement class, and I had taken the test to get in.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
Amid the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, videos of a doctor recommending Vitamin D3 and zinc spread from accounts selling supplements, despite these being unable to treat the disease.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
“If the stock represented a large share of their portfolio, the sale creates an opportunity to diversify. I would review their retirement timeline, spending needs, other investments, and tolerance for risk before recommending an allocation.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
The director would be able to manage public works projects, including construction, buying or leasing property, exercising eminent domain with City Council approval, granting street permits, regulating parking and recommending budgets for the department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Clinicians therefore tend to focus on treating underlying conditions and recommending lifestyle changes, including weight loss and better blood sugar control.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Boyle, it is true, wanted to bring alchemy a little into the public eye, if only in order to make it easier for alchemists to identify each other—Newton immediately told him off, recommending ‘high silence’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
