recite
Americanverb (used with object)
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recites,
present (3rd person singular)
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recited,
past participle, past
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reciting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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recites,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recited,
past participle, past
-
reciting
present participle
-
to recite a lesson or part of a lesson for a teacher.
-
to recite or repeat something from memory.
verb
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to repeat (a poem, passage, etc) aloud from memory before an audience, teacher, etc
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(tr) to give a detailed account of
-
(tr) to enumerate (examples, etc)
Synonym Usage
See relate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reciternoun
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prereciteverb (used with object)
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recitableadjective
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unrecitedadjective
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well-recitedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recitesimple
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recitessimple
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have recitedperfect
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has recitedperfect
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am recitingprogressive
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are recitingprogressive
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is recitingprogressive
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have been recitingperfect progressive
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has been recitingperfect progressive
Past
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recitedsimple
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had recitedperfect
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was recitingprogressive
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were recitingprogressive
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had been recitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recite
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English reciten, from Latin recitāre “to read aloud,” equivalent to re- + citāre “to summon”; see origin at re-, cite 1
Explanation
You are showing off your ability to recite, or repeat aloud from memory, when you say the entire text of "The Gettysburg Address" or name all the past winners of your town’s asparagus eating contest. Recite entered the English language as a legal term but is now more often used in the realms of education, literature, and religion. Children in school may be assigned a famous poem to recite in front of the class or be tested on how well they can recite their multiplication tables. In many religious traditions, being able to recite passages of sacred texts is an important part of practicing the religion.
Vocabulary lists containing recite
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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:
The Vatican said that Pope Leo "will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican. Tomorrow he will recite the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment".
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
He said the book was influenced by classics, adding: "One of the only poems I can recite is The Owl and the Pussycat and I suppose there's a similar metre to that."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
He could also recite statistics on the percentage of Iran’s missiles, ships, airplanes, etc., we’ve destroyed in the six-month war.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Before the date, I was about to recite my fourth affirmation when my phone pinged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Ha, any badger worth its salt knows all about the moon. Do you want me to recite all its phases? I can, you know.”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
On the track, Parton recites that "heartbreak sounds the same in every language".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
To make sure he’s prepared, Simpson recites and listens to his play calls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
We know this because Charles Dance recites Michelangelo’s snidest journal passages throughout, bringing a welcome pettiness to an otherwise staid chapter of art history.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
Not only does she talk, but she recites venerable nursery rhymes, backward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
When his mother asks if he has a pen to take down the number he lies, telling her yes, not listening as she recites it to him.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Machchhar told Modi that during the ordeal, he had recited a Hindu devotional prayer dedicated to the deity Hanuman.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
The faithful recited the Lord’s Prayer and a Hail Mary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Edmond de Rothschild did not live long enough to see the fulfillment of the Jewish prayers he and his family had long recited anticipating a Jewish return to Zion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
This ritual lasted an entire night and involved burning small figures made of wax and clay while an exorcist recited specific incantations.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
Several times that weekend around the supper table, he recited his own high school valedictorian speech.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
He gives the reader something interesting on every page and avoids the sports biographer’s trap of tediously reciting season after season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The 1974 concept album My Tennessee Mountain Home, meanwhile, is a musical autobiography that opens with Parton reciting the first letter she wrote home after moving to Nashville as a teenager.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
"I tried to comfort them. Some spent the whole day reciting the Quran, others passed the time on TikTok. I just wanted everyone to stay calm," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Students reciting Annapolis’ “Midshipman Ethos” say they’re “united by our oath to defend the Constitution,” not their background.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Repeating his name was like reciting a very short, very cheering poem.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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