recite
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to recite a lesson or part of a lesson for a teacher.
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to recite or repeat something from memory.
verb
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to repeat (a poem, passage, etc) aloud from memory before an audience, teacher, etc
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(tr) to give a detailed account of
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(tr) to enumerate (examples, etc)
Synonym Usage
See relate.
Other Word Forms
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”; see origin at re-, cite 1
Explanation
You are showing off your ability to recite, or repeat aloud from memory, when you say the entire text of "The Gettysburg Address" or name all the past winners of your town’s asparagus eating contest. Recite entered the English language as a legal term but is now more often used in the realms of education, literature, and religion. Children in school may be assigned a famous poem to recite in front of the class or be tested on how well they can recite their multiplication tables. In many religious traditions, being able to recite passages of sacred texts is an important part of practicing the religion.
Vocabulary lists containing recite
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
"Recite them daily, these will help your son and also take care of your financial hardship," he tells her.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2023
Recite lyrics from popular songs The year: 2008.
From The Guardian • Sep. 9, 2015
Achieve the maximum Pac-Man score Send text messages Recite the Declaration of Independence It's farmer.
From BBC • Aug. 10, 2012
Huett has answered everything from "What happens in Schiller's Joan of Arc?" to "Recite some verses from Wilhelm Busch's Max und Moritz," has even been known to recite a geometric theorem or two.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Rub your belly and pat your head at the same time? Recite the alphabet backward?”
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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.
