recant
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recant
1525–35; < Latin recantāre to sing back, sing again, equivalent to re- re- + cantāre, frequentative of canere to sing; cf. chant
Explanation
If you're someone who speaks before you think, you may need to recant, or take back, that overly honest assessment of your friend's new haircut. Recant comes from two Latin roots: the prefix re-, meaning "back," and the verb cantare, meaning "to sing." It has been suggested that recant was first used when someone reversed a charm, curse, or some other type of magical spell that would have been chanted or sung. Regardless of whether this is true or not, we suggest that you refrain from singing when you need to recant — unless you've been casting nasty spells on people.
Vocabulary lists containing recant
100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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Just Mercy
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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.
Years later, he said he was pressured by the FBI to recant his story.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
Members of the congregation were urged to publicly recant their sins.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2024
Generally, it’s unusual for a cooperating witness to recant testimony years after a trial.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2024
She withdrew the allegation later, but Trump's biographer points out that her alimony payments were likely in danger if she did not recant.
From Salon • May 1, 2023
While Chapman had suggested that Myers must have been pressured to recant, the district attorney presented no actual evidence to support that claim, which made the judge's ruling hard to understand.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
