recollect

American  

[rek-uh-lekt] / ˌrɛk əˈlɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to recall to mind; recover knowledge of by memory; remember.

   Antonyms:

   forget

2. to absorb (oneself ) in spiritual meditation, especially during prayer.

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verb (used without object)

1. to have a recollection; remember.

recollect British  

/ ˌrɛkəˈlɛkt /

verb

1. (when tr, often takes a clause as object) to recall from memory; remember

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Related Words

See remember.

Other Word Forms

• misrecollect verb
• nonrecollective adjective
• recollective adjective
• recollectively adverb
• recollectiveness noun
• self-recollective adjective
• unrecollective adjective

Etymology

Origin of recollect

First recorded in 1550–60; from Medieval Latin recollēctus, past participle of recolligere “to remember, recollect” ( Latin: “to gather up again”); re-, collect ¹

Explanation

To recollect is to remember. You might struggle to recollect your high school French but have no trouble recollecting every ingredient in your dad's cinnamon roll recipe. If you ask your grandfather to recollect his experiences in high school, you want him to remember some great stories from his youth. The Latin root word, recolligere, means "to collect again," from the prefix re, "again," and colligere, "gather or collect." You can think of recollect as meaning "to gather again from your memory."

Example Sentences

We made a registry to allow our friends and family to help us recollect the basics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

I recollect that my mother left her jewelry box and its contents to me.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 4, 2025

"I don't recollect that they were," she says.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2024

He additionally shared that he could recollect "one conversation" in which Wade said he was romantically involved with Willis.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2024

“You recollect you owe me fifty dollars, Belter?”

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury