recall

The verb recall means to remember something. Recall is also used as a verb to mean to request a person to return somewhere. It is used as a noun to refer to an order by a company or manufacturer for a product to be returned for some reason, especially a defect. Recall has several other senses as both a verb and a noun.

The word recall is used as a synonym of remember and recollect. In this sense, to recall is to retrieve old information from your memory.

• Real-life example: A friend might ask you what you did over the weekend, and you might take a minute to recall all of the fun things you did. When asked to explain what they were doing on a certain date, a defendant in a trial might say that they do not recall.
• Used in a sentence: I am trying to recall the name of an actor, but I can’t even remember the name of the movie that they’re in!

Recall also means to tell a person to return from somewhere. This sense is often used in the context of a person of authority commanding those under them to return to headquarters or their base.

• Real-life example: You are likely to hear this use of recall in reference to politics or the military. A country may decide to recall its ambassador from a country it is having a disagreement with, for example. Similarly, a country may recall troops from the place they had been dispatched to. A recall election is one in which voters decide whether to recall an elected official from office.
• Used in a sentence: After the negotiations fell through, the country decided to recall its diplomat. 

The word recall is used as a noun to mean a manufacturer requesting that products be returned to them because they are defective, unsafe, or for some other reason. In this context, recall can also be used as a verb meaning to issue such a recall.

• Real-life example: Recalls are common practice, especially by car manufacturers when a part is found to be defective. The car company may send you a letter in the mail to tell you your brakes have a chance of failing. Often, the manufacturer will pay to have the defective part replaced.
• Used in a sentence: The toy company issued a recall for the toy cars because they were found to be a choking hazard.

The first records of the word recall come from the 1500s. It is a combination of the word call, meaning “to summon,” and the prefix re-, meaning “again.” In several of its senses, recall refers to summoning something. A person who is recalling a memory is summoning it to the front of their mind, perhaps by picturing what it was like when it happened.

What are some other forms related to recall?

• recallable (adjective)
• unrecallable (adjective)
• unrecalled (adjective)

What are some synonyms for recall?

• remember
• recollect
• withdraw

What are some words that share a root or word element with recall? 

• call
• return

What are some words that often get used in discussing recall?

• memory
• manufacturer
• defect
• product
• factory
• election

Recall is commonly used as a synonym of remember. It also commonly means to withdraw or summon someone or something back.

I can't recall when was the last time I saw an Ad that was anywhere near what I was doing on Youtube.

— SingularRandal (@RandalSingular) November 15, 2020

Always wonderful to come home after a long day to find out Ford have issued a recall on their cars 😬🙈

— Josh Anderson (@coachanderson12) November 20, 2018

Israeli MFA: We regret the Jordanian decision to recall their ambassador. This decision doesn't help the efforts to calm the situation

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) November 5, 2014

Is recall used correctly in the following sentence?

My memory isn’t the best and I often have trouble recalling things I did just yesterday.