recognize

[rek-uhg-nahyz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recognize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), rec·og·nized, rec·og·niz·ing.

to identify as something or someone previously seen, known, etc.: He had changed so much that one could scarcely recognize him.

to identify from knowledge of appearance or characteristics: I recognized him from the description. They recognized him as a fraud.

to perceive as existing or true; realize: to be the first to recognize a fact.

to acknowledge as the person entitled to speak at a particular time: The Speaker recognized the congressman from Maine.

to acknowledge formally as entitled to treatment as a political unit: The United States promptly recognized Israel.

to acknowledge or accept formally a specified factual or legal situation: to recognize a successful revolutionary regime as the de facto government of the country.

to acknowledge or treat as valid: to recognize a claim.

to acknowledge acquaintance with, as by a greeting, handshake, etc.

to show appreciation of (achievement, service, merit, etc.), as by some reward, public honor, or the like.

Law. to acknowledge (an illegitimate child) as one's own.

Biochemistry, Immunology. to bind with, cleave, or otherwise react to (another substance) as a result of fitting its molecular shape or a portion of its shape.

Also especially British, rec·og·nise.

Origin of recognize

1425–75; recogn(ition) + -ize; replacing late Middle English racunnysen, recognisen < Old French reconuiss-, stem of reconuistre < Latin recognōscere, equivalent to re- re- + cognōscere to know¹; see cognition

Related formsrec·og·niz·a·ble

[rek-uhg-nahy-zuh-buhl, rek-uhg-nahy-] /ˈrɛk əgˌnaɪ zə bəl, ˌrɛk əgˈnaɪ-/, adjectiverec·og·niz·a·bil·i·ty, nounrec·og·niz·a·bly, adverbrec·og·niz·er, nounnon·rec·og·nized, adjectivepre·rec·og·nize, verb (used with object), pre·rec·og·nized, pre·rec·og·niz·ing.qua·si-rec·og·nized, adjectiveun·rec·og·niz·a·ble, adjectiveun·rec·og·niz·a·bly, adverbun·rec·og·nized, adjectiveun·rec·og·niz·ing, adjectivewell-rec·og·nized, adjective

Synonyms for recognize

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recognize ON THESAURUS.COM

3. acknowledge, appreciate, understand, grant, concede.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for recognizes

notice, remember, admit, make, perceive, note, see, observe, know, grant, agree, appreciate, honor, allow, sanction, respect, realize, diagnose, remark, descry

Examples from the Web for recognizes

Contemporary Examples of recognizes

Scotland Yard released a video of the extraordinary crime in an appeal for anyone who recognizes the man to come forward.
Thief Hypnotizes Shopkeeper, Then Robs Him
Nico Hines
December 5, 2014
But she also recognizes that it places women who are told that they screened for HPV in a frustrating limbo.
The Silent Shame of HPV
Emily Shire
August 29, 2014
Dr. Drape recognizes that she will always have to manage her scoliosis.
Yoga Is Good for You. But Is It Medicine?
DailyBurn
June 27, 2014
He notes that “at least one paper” recognizes that the cause of the tail is “poorly understood.”
The Crazy Way Creationists Try To Explain Human Tails Without Evolution
Karl W. Giberson
June 1, 2014
At the same time, she recognizes that he is loving and protective of Sansa as well.
Game of Thrones’ Sibel Kekilli Discusses Shae’s Treachery at the Trial of Tyrion Lannister
Marlow Stern
May 13, 2014

Historical Examples of recognizes

There, indeed, is something which the soul within him recognizes.
The New Adam and Eve (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Already the business of the century recognizes the truth of all this.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
But if there be help for him, it must be a help that recognizes the highest in him, and urges him to its use.
A Dish Of Orts
George MacDonald
At best, he recognizes the past, with here and there a slight variation.
Blood and Iron
John Hubert Greusel
Plato only recognizes the identity of pleasure and good when the pleasure is of the higher kind.
Laws
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for recognizes

recognize

recognise

verb (tr)

to perceive (a person, creature, or thing) to be the same as or belong to the same class as something previously seen or known; know again

to accept or be aware of (a fact, duty, problem, etc)to recognize necessity

to give formal acknowledgment of the status or legality of (a government, an accredited representative, etc)

mainly US and Canadian to grant (a person) the right to speak in a deliberative body, debate, etc

to give a token of thanks for (a service rendered, etc)

to make formal acknowledgment of (a claim, etc)

to show approval or appreciation of (something good or pleasing)

to acknowledge or greet (a person), as when meeting by chance

(intr) mainly US to enter into a recognizance

Derived Formsrecognizable or recognisable, adjectiverecognizability or recognisability, nounrecognizably or recognisably, adverbrecognizer or recogniser, noun

Word Origin for recognize

C15: from Latin recognoscere to know again, from re- + cognoscere to know, ascertain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for recognizes

recognize

early 15c., "resume possession of land," back-formation from recognizance, or else from Old French reconoiss-, stem of reconoistre "to know again, identify, recognize," from Latin recognoscere "acknowledge, recall to mind, know again; examine; certify," from re- "again" (see re-) + cognoscere "know" (see cognizance). Meaning "know again, recall or recover the knowledge of, perceive an identity with something formerly known or felt" first recorded 1530s. Related: Recognized; recognizing.