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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Latehomecomer" by Kao Kalia Yang
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Unfinished
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Before to Tuesday’s vote, CoC chair Ben Kay gave a recap of measures the board took to administer an impartial evaluation that scored the county higher than the city on handling homelessness issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
To recap, each Saturday we’ll break down the biggest news of the week into three categories: what mattered most, what we’re keeping an eye on, and what’s unfathomably inane.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2026
That Girl Mom currently spends about 20 hours a week watching Owens’ episodes, doing her own research and then filming the recap videos.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
As a quick recap, rules that were introduced to the white-ball team in January were kept in place for the Test side at the beginning of the home summer.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
As we wait for the elevator, I give Nora the full recap of how we found Ziggy in the old Hideout.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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
His recent visit to Vietnam was recapped on TikTok over a techno rave soundtrack.
From BBC ● May 1, 2025
“This is a tale that Hollywood would love to tell,” the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society said on their Facebook page where they recapped the happy series of events in a video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
“Ziggy seems like a great dog,” he says, once I’ve recapped my conversation with Mae.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
A couple of posts later, Zach Witkoff added another message, a video recapping the “World Liberty Forum” held at Mar-a-Lago in February.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 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
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 is worth recapping United's last three games.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
