of late occurrence, appearance, or origin; lately happening, done, made, etc..
recent events; a recent trip.
not long past.
in recent years.
of or belonging to a time not long past.
Geology. Recent. noting or pertaining to the present epoch, originating at the end of the glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, and forming the latter half of the Quaternary Period; Holocene.
See modern.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin recent- (stem of recēns ) “fresh, new”
If something is recent, it happened in the immediate past or not long ago. You are a recent fan of yoga if you just started liking it in the past week or two. If you talk about something that happened in recent months or years, it means the last one to three months or years. Otherwise, recent means new or just happened. It’s particularly useful when you don’t know exactly when something happened, but you know it wasn’t long ago. Perhaps you have been a recent guest star on a show, and your recent movies have been very successful. You know it wasn’t long ago at all and you are still a star!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, officer numbers have been rising in recent years and have increased by 7.8% since 2021, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
In recent weeks though the ocean around Okinawa has been mercifully cooled by typhoons scooping up deep-sea water as they tear across the Pacific.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Oil-tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude and crude products flowed through in peacetime, has ground to a halt in recent days.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The charity Service Dogs UK, which trains rescue dogs to help serving and retired officers and military veterans with PTSD, said it had received more referrals from police in recent years.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He taught Ellsberg to constantly scan the barbed wire fences along the road, looking for a shiny edge that hadn’t had time to rust, the telltale sign of a recent slice.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Recent polling has shown deteriorating views of Israel in numerous countries worldwide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Recent research from Lund University and the University of Sussex proposes that the earliest ancestor of vertebrates passed through a cyclops-like stage nearly 600 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Recent want ads show Amazon MGM Studios trying to find a principal AI executive and Walt Disney Studios advertising for a production innovation technologist job.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Recent outbreaks have taken root in places where vaccine hesitancy is common, including among Mennonites in Texas and evangelical Slavs in South Carolina.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Recent scientific evidence, such as DNA testing, confirms that Jefferson or some male in his family fathered the children of Sally Hemings.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
