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
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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
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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
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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
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unrecommendableadjective
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unrecommendedadjective
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well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recommendsimple
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recommendssimple
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have recommendedperfect
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has recommendedperfect
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am recommendingprogressive
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are recommendingprogressive
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is recommendingprogressive
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have been recommendingperfect progressive
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has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
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recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
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was recommendingprogressive
-
were recommendingprogressive
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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:
To get your weekend off to a fun start, my colleagues recommend:
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
They also say future studies should use wearable technology to track physical activity more precisely and help determine the most effective amount of stair climbing to recommend.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
He continues to recommend buying AI as an equity theme — the “hubris trade” of staying long AI stocks through the bubble.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s immersive, character-driven and stylish; a spiky, enjoyable piece of filmmaking that is wholly distinctive and hasn’t had all its personality sanded down, the kind of movie you could recommend to anyone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“You’re free to go, though I recommend you take it easy. I’ve told the Commandant you won’t be fit for training or watch until tomorrow.”
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Wells Fargo recommends stocks in the tech, industrials and financial services sectors as spending on artificial intelligence trickles down into the rest of the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
In a burrito city like L.A., prices can range dramatically, such as Burritos La Palma’s $5 homestyle burritos, where the menu recommends ordering two or three per person for a satisfying meal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
So she has a hack she recommends to people within a few minutes of their first meeting: Put a recurring event on your personal calendar and label it “work on finances.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Prasad cited the fact that Moderna tested its experimental vaccine for seniors measuring case counts against a standard-dose flu shot rather than Fluzone High-Dose, the version the FDA normally recommends for that age group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“I don’t like the thought of cutting them either, but it may be our only hope. Dr. Rush recommends it, he was bled himself when he was ill.”
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
And it's continuing - social media posts, actively recommended by Instagram's algorithm, are advertising another attempt at the crossing this weekend.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Due to the severity of the injuries, the veterinarian recommended humane euthanasia, which was also supported by CDFW’s Wildlife Health Laboratory veterinarian,” wildlife officials said in the written statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Consider the timers’ recommended equity-exposure levels for the 50 best and 50 worst days since 1980.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
In the United States, however, a panel recommended loosening restrictions on a range of peptides last month.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
There could be no conversation in the noise of Mrs. Phillips’s supper party, but his manners recommended him to everybody.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Do you or your firm earn any extra compensation for recommending this fund?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Others have been quoting Clement Attlee, recommending "a period of silence".
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
His videos don’t stop at recommending where to eat.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Although NDR’s longer-term growth-versus-value models now favor value by the widest margin in five years, the firm isn’t recommending investors rush into the trade.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Well, that sort of comment isn’t recommending you either,” says Jackson.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
