recite
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to recite a lesson or part of a lesson for a teacher.
-
to recite or repeat something from memory.
verb
-
to repeat (a poem, passage, etc) aloud from memory before an audience, teacher, etc
-
(tr) to give a detailed account of
-
(tr) to enumerate (examples, etc)
Related Words
See relate.
Other Word Forms
- prerecite verb (used with object)
- recitable adjective
- reciter noun
- unrecited adjective
- well-recited adjective
Etymology
Origin of recite
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English reciten, from Latin recitāre “to read aloud,” equivalent to re- + citāre “to summon”; re-, cite 1
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.
He said those visiting can "get the whole boat to themselves for an hour and they can take videos and photos, recite all the lines and crush the cans".
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
When Tiffany Day was younger, her mother used to recite to her a Chinese expression roughly translating, “True gold will always shine.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
I don’t know whether they can recite the language of the Fourth Amendment.
From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026
Usually the kids from one grade recite a poem they’ve memorized.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
“Why don’t you go on and recite that speech for your father?”
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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.
