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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remember remembers remembered remembering

Instantly, I feel sick, and I remember why I don't go swimming.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

It’s so second nature that if men are aware they are doing it, they can’t remember ever not doing it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

It’s a lesson that so many people, both kids and adults, need to learn or remember.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

"I remember the first time I looked through the electron microscope and saw those crystals," said Lin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

I remember Mutti would sometimes hum along with her songs when we were listening to them.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

In the documentary “David Foster: Off the Record,” he remembers sending a minion to the store to get Parton’s track; they came back with Ronstadt’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Sarah Williams vividly remembers watching her home burn down on the news.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

They agreed, Freddie remembers, that if he didn’t make it to the big leagues in four years, he’d quit to follow the original plan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Like many Kuwaitis, Salem Al-Ghanem still vividly remembers Iraqi tanks rolling through his hometown when his small Gulf state faced extinction had US troops not liberated it from invasion.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 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

Despite her harrowing experience, Stewart said she doesn't want to be remembered as "a girl that got mauled on the beach".

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

It was then I remembered why it’s called Rally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

“My goal is to ensure that their names are never forgotten here at Inglewood Park Cemetery and that their story continues to be remembered for generations to come,” Rivas added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

But locals remembered her more for her charitable giving and care for younger generations in blue-collar regions of her native east Tennessee.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Even with all that, I had somehow remembered how to smile.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Tributes have poured in from US presidents across the political spectrum and musicians across all genres, remembering her not just for her award-winning career, but her philanthropy and humble nature that transcended country music.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

She remembered me without assuming that remembering me meant she knew what I wanted.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

In the meantime, it is worth remembering that every coin—even a digital one—has two sides.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

But it’s worth remembering that Congress consistently kicks the can down the road until it has no choice but to act, and that’s likely to be true in this case as well.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

I pat my pockets, looking for my phone, before remembering I left it in my bag downstairs.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

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