remember
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
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to retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of.
Remember your appointment with the dentist.
- Antonyms:
- forget
-
to have (something) come into the mind again.
I just remembered that it's your birthday today.
-
to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee.
The company always remembers us at Christmas.
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to give a tip, donation, or gift to.
to remember someone in need.
-
to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings.
Remember me to your family.
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(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.
-
Archaic. to remind.
verb (used without object)
-
to possess or exercise the faculty of memory.
-
to have recollection (sometimes followed byof ).
The old man remembers of his youth.
verb
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to become aware of (something forgotten) again; bring back to one's consciousness; recall
-
to retain (an idea, intention, etc) in one's conscious mind
to remember Pythagoras' theorem
remember to do one's shopping
-
(tr) to give money, etc, to (someone), as in a will or in tipping
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to mention (a person's name) to another person, as by way of greeting or friendship
remember me to your mother
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(tr) to mention (a person) favourably, as in prayer
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(tr) to commemorate (a person, event, etc)
to remember the dead of the wars
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to recover one's good manners after a lapse; stop behaving badly
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
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rememberernoun
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rememberableadjective
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unrememberedadjective
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unrememberingadjective
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well-rememberedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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remembersimple
-
rememberssimple
-
have rememberedperfect
-
has rememberedperfect
-
am rememberingprogressive
-
are rememberingprogressive
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is rememberingprogressive
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have been rememberingperfect progressive
-
has been rememberingperfect progressive
Past
-
rememberedsimple
-
had rememberedperfect
-
was rememberingprogressive
-
were rememberingprogressive
-
had been rememberingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing remember
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"The Lotus Seed"
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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:
I knew at the time this would be something I would remember all my life, but the memory took on almost unbearable poignancy when Lorraine died on July 3, 2006.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Kelly, 33, added: "I knew something wasn't right. I remember saying there were red flags, but we were told there was nothing to worry about."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Do Lakers fans remember Doncic’s 17 assists to guys like Dante Exum, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Grant Williams in a 2023 victory over LeBron and Anthony Davis?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Whatever you do, remember that a 4% return barely covers inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 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
Etta remembers feeling "nervous", "anxious" and "uncomfortable", but says she had a hard time putting up boundaries at that age and saying no.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Raised in a Pakistani household, she remembers these programmes as a weekly link to the culture her parents had grown up with.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“This is making no sense. This guy is just looking at cybersecurity data sets,” he remembers thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
She remembers being mesmerized by the story’s wicked witch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
I know how much she must be hurting, but part of me is happy to finally have someone else who remembers too.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
“Hillbilly Elegy” was turned into a 2020 film by Ron Howard, but it is mostly remembered as an embarrassment.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
He is best remembered for playing the lead role of T'Challa, king of Wakanda, in Oscar-winning 2018 Marvel blockbuster Black Panther.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mechanic remembered a party sometime pre-presidency for Witkoff’s wife, Lauren, where Trump was beamed in via video with a birthday greeting, but he couldn’t place when that was.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
You may die, but your songs will be remembered 100 years from now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
I stepped back, so frightened I hardly remembered why I was there.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
They discovered that tau is not necessary for learning something new or remembering it shortly afterward.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Germany’s postwar identity was built around remembering its crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
It is worth remembering that what you are watching is not normal.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Yet taking advantage of the tax breaks is not as straightforward a task as other camp-related duties — like remembering to label every T-shirt and pair of socks campers bring.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Because clearly we are not remembering the same thing.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
