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Synonyms

rec

1 American  
[rek] / rɛk /

noun

Informal.

  1. recreation.

rec 2 American  
[rek] / rɛk /

noun

Informal.

  1. a recommendation.

    I need a rec for a vegetarian restaurant.
rec. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. (in prescriptions) fresh.

rec. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. receipt.

  2. recipe.

  3. record.

  4. recorder.

  5. recording.

rec British  
/ rɛk /

noun

  1. informal short for recreation ground

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rec1

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening

Origin of rec2

By shortening

Origin of rec.3

From the Latin word recēns

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.

Sunday nights: an apartment overlooking the Pacific, Manchego and hummus, then down to the rec room for ping-pong.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Downstairs, there are three other bedrooms that are just as chic and can “easily double as a rec room, office, or creative space” and come complete with their own fireplaces.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026

Weyerhaeuser stock, which finished Tuesday at $23.28, was the subject of a bullish rec ent Barron’s profile before the investor day.

From Barron's • Dec. 16, 2025

We drove back to the rec center, where the sun began to show.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025

“Get the rec book, Ibtihaj,” my mother yelled from the kitchen.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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.