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
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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
-
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
-
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:
A decision on whether to recommend them for trial will be taken in the coming months.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The American Academy of Ophthalmology doesn’t recommend that patients seek out an eye exam before starting treatment with a GLP-1.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
But for now, I highly recommend picking up his incisive, deeply human book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
ESC Guidelines strongly recommend oral anticoagulants for people with AF who are considered at high risk of stroke.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
At my mother’s suggestion, I wrote the county supervisor who had graded my high school exams, and he was happy to recommend me for a scholarship at the University of Maryland.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
In a statement on its website, the agency "strongly recommends to holders of trademarks, slogans, company names and others who do not yet own a .si domain that they register one as soon as possible".
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
He recommends investors build a well-diversified portfolio but stay away from interest-rate-sensitive investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
So consumer group Which? also recommends keeping an eye on any exit fees when picking a fixed deal.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
From there, he recommends building an emergency reserve, ideally reaching three to six months’ worth of expenses eventually, and then putting additional money toward longer-term goals.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Lighthouse International recommends 16 to 18 point font depending upon typefaces.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The WHO's guideline sets 100 micrograms of ozone per cubic metre as the maximum recommended level of exposure, averaged over eight hours.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
But Pike's trial lawyer did not put McCoy on the stand or call many of the witnesses she recommended.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
When I landed my first TV audition, my agent recommended his favorite acting coach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
For the aggressive traders among you, below are the 20 highest-beta stocks among those recommended by at least two of the investment newsletters monitored by my performance-monitoring firm.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
They recommended an immediate air strike on the missile sites in Cuba.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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
This is the first book I’ve ever read that sounds just like a social media feed, with the author recommending product after product, and then stipulating whether or not he is affiliated with them.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
This is despite guidelines recommending six cycles over six months.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Consumers share tips on how to “sleepmaxx” on social media, recommending devices, from wearables to smart mattresses and alarm clocks, along with DIY remedies like “sleepy girl mocktail” concoctions containing magnesium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Deacon Hurd had it all arranged: a typed-up agenda, a written-out prayer—and the formal deacon’s letter to the congregation recommending that First Congregational dismiss Reverend Turner Buckminster from its pulpit.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
