recall

[ verb ri-kawl; noun ri-kawl, ree-kawl for 7–9, 12, 13; ree-kawl for 10, 11 ]

/ verb rɪˈkɔl; noun rɪˈkɔl, ˈri kɔl for 7–9, 12, 13; ˈri kɔl for 10, 11 /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recall ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to bring back from memory; recollect; remember: Can you recall what she said?

to call back; summon to return: The army recalled many veterans.

to bring (one's thoughts, attention, etc.) back to matters previously considered: He recalled his mind from pleasant daydreams to the dull task at hand.

International Law. to summon back and withdraw the office from (a diplomat).

to revoke or withdraw: to recall a promise.

to revive.

noun

an act of recalling.

recollection; remembrance.

the act or possibility of revoking something.

the removal or the right of removal of a public official from office by a vote of the people taken upon petition of a specified number of the qualified electors.

Also called callback. a summons by a manufacturer or other agency for the return of goods or a product already shipped to market or sold to consumers but discovered to be defective, contaminated, unsafe, or the like.

a signal made by a vessel to recall one of its boats.

a signal displayed to direct a racing yacht to sail across the starting line again.

Nearby words

Origin of recall

First recorded in 1575–85; re- + call

SYNONYMS FOR recall

1 See remember.

5 rescind, retract, recant, repeal; annul.

7 memory.

9 revocation, retraction, repeal, withdrawal, recantation; nullification.

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ANTONYMS FOR recall

1 forget.

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Related formsre·call·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·call·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·called, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recall

Recall how Clinton returned to Arkansas from the campaign trail to preside over the execution of a mentally disabled man.
President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion|Jonathan Alter|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That action ignited protests that rocked Wisconsin and spurred a recall—only the second recall of a governor in U.S. history.
The Next Phase of the Koch Brothers’ War on Unions|Carl Deal and Tia Lessin|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I do not recall what sort of aeroplane Mr. Hughes had at the time; however, it was quite comfortable, as I recall.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He liked to recall his films from the '20s and '30s, in which he put distinguished West End actors on the screen.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It took, as I recall, almost two days to fly from New York to Los Angeles.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Makes me nigh get that way myself, every time I recall—Whist!
Dorothy at Oak Knowe|Evelyn Raymond
Both branches of the Lyric Club, in fact, came suddenly to grief, owing to a great misfortune which it is better not to recall.
Forty Years of 'Spy'|Leslie Ward
I tried to recall my theory, and to close my eyes to the pathetic beauty of the face before me; but it was altogether in vain.
The Doctor's Dilemma|Hesba Stretton
I knew there was something concerning the Castle of Peronne which dwelt on my mind, though I could not recall the circumstance.
Quentin Durward|Sir Walter Scott
A courier had been sent to recall Pappenheim, as the army without his force counted only 18,000 men.
Sweden|Victor Nilsson

British Dictionary definitions for recall

recall

/ (rɪˈkɔːl) /

verb (tr)

(may take a clause as object) to bring back to mind; recollect; remember

to order to return; call back permanently or temporarilyto recall an ambassador

to revoke or take back

to cause (one's thoughts, attention, etc) to return from a reverie or digression

poetic to restore or revive

noun

the act of recalling or state of being recalled

revocation or cancellation

the ability to remember things; recollection

military (esp formerly) a signal to call back troops, etc, usually a bugle callto sound the recall

US the process by which elected officials may be deprived of office by popular vote

Derived Formsrecallable, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for recall (1 of 2)

recall

1580s, "to bring back by calling upon," from re- "back, again" + call (v.); in some cases a loan-translation of Middle French rappeler (see repeal (v.)) or Latin revocare (see revoke). Sense of "bring back to memory" is from 1610s. Related: Recalled; recalling.

Word Origin and History for recall (1 of 2)

recall

1650s, "act of recalling to mind," from recall (v.). In U.S. politics, "removal of an elected official," 1902.

recall

verb (used with object)

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of recall

Examples from the Web for recall

British Dictionary definitions for recall

recall

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin and History for recall (1 of 2)

recall

Word Origin and History for recall (1 of 2)

recall

Medicine definitions for recall

recall

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with recall

recall