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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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:
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Uber's annual lost and found index, the company said, adding that it was using the opportunity to recap trends over the years.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 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
A recap of consumer prices in April showed inflation climbing to a three-year high.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
First a quick recap of why memory-chips are the hot AI play.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
“But if we didn’t, then why are we doing this in your mom’s office and not in the recap review room with everyone else?”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
But when she recapped their dates in her tracker, her radar went off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Every lyric is recapped as a presumed confession, combed for autobiographical Easter eggs and compared, true crime Reddit-style, to the forensic files of her life and loves.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2024
The first “Rebel Moon,” released on Netflix in December, made audiences endure a gantlet of narrative groundwork that’s fairly inessential and recapped here.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
The story of the Original Nine, the renegade group led by King to start an alternative women’s circuit, is stirringly recapped.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
I recapped all of this to Trevor, who now stared at me with a pained expression on his face.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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
But his speech on Sunday avoided that issue entirely, instead recapping his election victory and hitting on themes – including immigration, crime and foreign trade – that were mainstays of his campaign.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024
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.
