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
-
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
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:
There are really three things we recommend in the very short term.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Aguh said they are suited only for mild forms of acne; Fine said the patches have given some of her patients discoloration and she doesn’t recommend them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Instead, they recommend developing healthier habits and becoming more aware of how and why phones are used.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Last month, Judge Alexia Durran, Chief Coroner of England and Wales, said she would write to the Home Secretary to recommend the inquests be converted into a public inquiry.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
He said he was going to recommend me for some kind of award.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
She recommends eating low-fat or no-fat milk or ice cream if you’re sensitive to dairy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The latest draft recommends cutting back the original proposal most heavily in the area that covers international aid, with the cut being 17 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Katie Whitson, a registered dietician at Health Loft, said that for those who come to see her with concerns about their cortisol, instead of taking tests, she recommends tracking their daily routines.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
It also recommends limiting butter/margarine, cheese, red meat, pastries/sweets, and fried fast foods.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
They simulate a conversation, as classic style recommends, and they are gifts to the memory-challenged reader.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
He said the nodule was detected at “a very early stage” and that his doctors had recommended surgery to remove it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Still, no single asset class leads forever, Zandi said, which is why diversification is recommended.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
A major review of criminal courts by former appeal judge Sir Brian Leveson recommended more virtual hearings for defendants to slash wasted time bringing them to and from cells.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
"Especially for people in their 30s, 40s, or 50s, osteoarthritis could mean decades of pain management before they're recommended for a joint replacement," Uhlrich said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
A resemblance in good humour and good spirits had recommended her and Lydia to each other, and out of their three months’ acquaintance they had been intimate two.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Also ask whether he is acting as a fiduciary in recommending this particular investment and whether he or his firm has any financial relationship with the sponsor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Amid the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, videos of a doctor recommending Vitamin D3 and zinc spread from accounts selling supplements, despite these being unable to treat the disease.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
The director would be able to manage public works projects, including construction, buying or leasing property, exercising eminent domain with City Council approval, granting street permits, regulating parking and recommending budgets for the department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Many advisers are recommending short- and intermediate-term maturities over longer-term ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
“And as long as they don’t interfere with your main assignment of recommending that the authority of Special Services be expanded to include combat activities.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
