recap
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
noun
verb (used with or without object)
verb
noun
-
informal recapitulation
-
another name for retread
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recap1
First recorded in 1935–40; re- + cap 1
Origin of recap2
First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening
Explanation
To recap is to briefly explain something by giving just the main points or details. You might write a popular blog in which you recap episodes of your favorite TV shows. Some shows on television begin with a recap of the previous episode, so viewers can refresh their memories about what's happening in the story so far. A book review is sometimes nothing more than a recap of the plot. And if you miss an important meeting of your Spanish club, the secretary's minutes will recap what was discussed. Recap is a shortened form of recapitulate, "summarize," from the Latin recapitulare, "go over the main points again."
Vocabulary lists containing recap
"The Latehomecomer," Vocabulary from the memoir excerpt
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"The Latehomecomer" by Kao Kalia Yang
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The Unfinished
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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.
See Examples For:
Here is a recap of notable comments Trump made in public remarks and on social media during half a year of war:
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
She now watches Owens’s show, on every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and creates recap videos on her Instagram page, which has amassed nearly 100,000 followers and is regularly reposted by Owens herself.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
“I think this will be remembered fondly,” he claimed at a legislative recap event at the University of Denver on Tuesday.
From Slate ● May 21, 2026
The show opened with a recap of that song - before the competition started in earnest with Denmark's Søren Torpegaard Lund.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
A Hawaiian- shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
Message boards erupted, and Neal, the YouTuber who regularly recapped “Bachelor” episodes on his show, dug into the paternity fray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The clips boomerang around the internet and get analyzed and recapped for everyone by Sunday morning.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
There was some very uplifting, and very un-Traitors-esque music, as we recapped some moments from each of the finalists' time in the castle.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
If there is value in seeing these events recapped, it is in the power of seeing the parents confront Jones in court.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
A couple of times a week, he recapped the triumphs and struggles of his life.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
The second part of the series’ two-part finale, released Wednesday, concludes with the “Clarkson’s Farm” crew recapping the ups and downs of their harvest year and with the show’s namesake back in a hospital bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
As DA Davidson analyst Clark Wright says in his note recapping Phreesia’s fourth quarter earnings, “there are several moving pieces to the story.”
From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026
Last I checked, Owens’ video recapping her meeting with Erika had accrued 3.5 million views.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
Instead, Williams is doing what he does most Sundays between September and January: recapping the game with a parody of a popular song.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
It was late that night when Katherine and Jimmy tucked the girls into their beds and collapsed onto their own bed, but they stayed up even later laughing and gossiping, recapping the family gathering.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
