noun
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the act or process of making a record, esp of sound on a gramophone record or magnetic tape
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( as modifier )
recording studio
recording head
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the record or tape so produced
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something that has been recorded, esp a radio or television programme
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of recording
Explanation
A recording is the recorded audio that's stored on a tape or an electronic device. If you make a recording of your history class lecture, you'll be able to listen to it later when you study for the midterm exam (or when you want to nod off to sleep). The business of making and selling popular songs can be called "the recording industry," and you can also talk about a recording of your favorite jazz album. In addition to audio recordings, there are also video recordings, like the one you take of your little brother's dance recital or soccer game. Recording comes from the verb record, which we can trace back to the Latin recordari, "remember, call to mind, or be mindful of."
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:
On the subject of holy grails, there’s the first recording by Lenny Kaye, “Crazy Like A Fox,” released under the nom de guerre Link Cromwell.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Watch the recording to catch their lively discussion about how influencers have transformed media, storytelling, and entertainment.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Barclays fell 4.9% after recording above-expectation credit impairments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
It borrows ideas from other games, with the cards changing based on the quality of the image or sound recording used to ID the bird - as well as its rarity.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Except that’s not all—she’s recording me with her phone too.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
The format marked a departure from his tightly scripted recordings.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Barry put the development down to AI, as well as "an amazing community of global bird watchers who are able to submit their recordings" - meaning more data to train the tech.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
About 3,700 hours of audio recordings of conversations between Nixon and his administration officials, staff, and family existed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Within 60 minutes of taking the 25 mg dose, EEG recordings showed a rise in brain entropy.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
He brought a tape recorder and made recordings of all the new pieces Chester learned.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
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.
