reminisce

American  

[rem-uh-nis] / ˌrɛm əˈnɪs /

verb (used without object)

• reminisces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reminisced,
  past participle,  past
• reminiscing
  present participle

1. 

   to recall past experiences, events, etc.; indulge in reminiscence.

   Synonyms:

   muse, recollect, remember

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reminisce British  

/ ˌrɛmɪˈnɪs /

verb

1. (intr) to talk or write about old times, past experiences, etc

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reminiscing
  present
• reminisced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reminisce
  simple
• reminisces
  simple
• have reminisced
  perfect
• has reminisced
  perfect
• am reminiscing
  progressive
• are reminiscing
  progressive
• is reminiscing
  progressive
• have been reminiscing
  perfect progressive
• has been reminiscing
  perfect progressive

Past

• reminisced
  simple
• had reminisced
  perfect
• was reminiscing
  progressive
• were reminiscing
  progressive
• had been reminiscing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reminisce
  simple
• will have reminisced
  perfect
• will be reminiscing
  progressive
• will have been reminiscing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of reminisce

First recorded in 1820–30; back formation from reminiscence

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Explanation

Reminisce is a dreamy way of saying "remember the past." If you're swapping old stories with friends and remembering all the silly things you used to do, then you're reminiscing. Reminiscing is all about happy recollections and thinking back to stories from the past. It's hard to reminisce about the old days with someone you don't know very well or haven't known very long, since a key part of reminiscing is a shared history. But just about anyone can reminisce about going elementary school, learning to tie shoelaces, or getting that first job.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reminisce reminisces reminisced reminiscing

She’s perhaps best-known for her Instagram page @veteranas_and_rucas, a crowd-sourced digital archive where homegirls from California reminisce, share stories and see themselves represented with dignity and pride.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Later in the evening, at nearby watering hole Bluffs, regulars gathered to toast Dolly, sing karaoke versions of her songs and reminisce about their local legend.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

They reminisce about the brown bread: those sweet, dark little wheat loaves scented with honey, molasses, cocoa powder and espresso.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Perhaps that's what gave him permission to reminisce about the Fab Four on The Boys of Dungeon Lane.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

How was I supposed to come up with a story for Sister Redempta or even a “Remember when...” to reminisce on with somebody else?

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

Ed O’Brien of Radiohead is strolling down the beach in Santa Monica on a recent afternoon as he reminisces about his first trip to Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

She reminisces on a childhood growing up in a repressive household during the 1960s, when second-wave feminism and the women’s liberation movement were just starting to achieve legitimacy.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

She also reminisces about how Mar-a-Lago is where her father gave Barron swim lessons, Donald Trump played golf with Barron, and Barron took his first tennis lessons with her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026

"No, it wasn't quite like that," he reminisces, before the story takes another strange turn.

From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026

Naano gushes as she reminisces about this most wonderful day.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

One parent reminisced about a group of moms who tried to throw a vegan sugar-free Halloween party at school, prompting a revolt from other parents who sent “over the top sugary treats” instead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen reminisced about working two jobs, living with roommates and eating ramen after college.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

Walking through, Hajj Ali reminisced on her home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, which she was only able to visit once after an April truce that ultimately failed to stop the fighting.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Others were pulled back to their lab days: “Considering volunteering my services as I have unintentionally killed Desmodesmus cultures many times,” one scientist reminisced on Bluesky.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

They reminisced over Bailey’s teaching me to walk when he was less than three.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Now they were at university - Yusron in the capital Jakarta, and Ziadatur in Cairo, Egypt - and had begun reminiscing over the phone about their school days.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Casado, a Stanford University Ph.D. in computer science, remembers attending Hot Chips, an annual Stanford semiconductor conference, in the early 2000s, when it was largely populated by industry retirees reminiscing about the good old days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

“It’s Trey’s day,” Dino said, reminiscing on his youngest son’s Little League days, his home run derby victory in Williamsport, Pa., his growth through travel ball and high school.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Whether Musk was supporting SpaceX’s valuation or reminiscing about Tesla is unclear.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

This kind of reminiscing is supposed to be done at the end, and I haven’t finished yet.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

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Related Words

• look back
• remind

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