recommend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recommends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recommended,
past participle, past
-
recommending
present participle
-
to present as worthy of confidence, acceptance, use, etc.; commend; mention favorably.
to recommend an applicant for a job; to recommend a book.
- Antonyms:
- condemn
-
to represent or urge as advisable or expedient.
to recommend caution.
-
to advise, as an alternative; suggest (a choice, course of action, etc.) as appropriate, beneficial, or the like.
He recommended the blue-plate special. The doctor recommended special exercises for her.
- Synonyms:
- counsel
-
to make desirable or attractive.
a plan that has very little to recommend it.
verb (used without object)
-
recommends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recommended,
past participle, past
-
recommending
present participle
noun
verb
-
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to advise as the best course or choice; counsel
to recommend prudence
-
to praise or commend
to recommend a new book
-
to make attractive or advisable
the trip has little to recommend it
-
archaic to entrust (a person or thing) to someone else's care; commend
Usage
Spelling tips for recommend The word recommend is hard to spell because it is tricky to know whether the c, the m, and/or the n is doubled. How to spell recommend: The easiest way to remember how to spell recommend is to break it into three parts: re - com - mend. You can keep these three sections in mind with the sentence: "I recommend that you rely commonly on mending."
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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recommendernoun
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prerecommendverb (used with object)
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recommendableadjective
-
unrecommendableadjective
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unrecommendedadjective
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well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recommendsimple
-
recommendssimple
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have recommendedperfect
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has recommendedperfect
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am recommendingprogressive
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are recommendingprogressive
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is recommendingprogressive
-
have been recommendingperfect progressive
-
has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
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recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
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was recommendingprogressive
-
were recommendingprogressive
-
had been recommendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recommend
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English recommenden, from Medieval Latin recommendāre; equivalent to re- + commend
Explanation
If you recommend a person or thing is to vouch for them. Recommend can also be to advise. If your doctor recommended an exercise program to you that's changed your life, you might recommend your doctor to your friends. Recommend is connected to the verb commend "to praise." They are both spelled with one c and two m's, reflecting the prefixes re- and com-. These verbs overlap in some uses: you can recommend or commend an applicant for employment. But commend is used for special or public praise: "He was commended for bravery."
Vocabulary lists containing recommend
Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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"the insanity of selling junk food"
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Encourage
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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.
See Examples For:
So, a little disclosure before we get into it: Nobody is paying me to recommend these products, and neither Salon nor I will earn money from these recommendations.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
The guidelines recommend that treatment decisions involve a team of specialists, including the patient's physicians, clinical microbiologists, and recognized phage experts.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
I can’t stop you from eating up the speculation on your feeds, but I can’t recommend it either.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
Federal health officials recommend people ages 65 and older receive higher-dose flu vaccines, like Sanofi’s Flublok or Fluzone High-Dose, and CSL Seqirus’s Fluad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
“They have none of them much to recommend them,” replied he; “they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
The 2025 Focused Update of the 2019 ESC/EAS Guidelines for the management of dyslipidemias recommends considering increased coronary calcium scores, when available, as an additional factor in cardiovascular risk assessment.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
The World Health Organization recommends average PM2.5 levels over 24 hours should not exceed 15 micrograms per cubic metre.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
That’s what’s necessary, he said, to approach, city-wide, the 70% threshold the wildlife federation recommends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
For this reason, she recommends all used EV shoppers request a battery “State of Health” report, which is easiest to get when buying pre-owned directly from brand dealerships.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
“General Peckem even recommends that we send our men into combat in full-dress uniform so they’ll make a good impression on the enemy when they’re shot down.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
But the MPs have recommended that in future the default position for such Crown Estate properties should be that such sub-letting should be banned, unless there was a specific exemption.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
This guidance applies particularly to people at moderate cardiovascular risk or those whose estimated risk falls near the threshold at which preventive medication would normally be recommended.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
When we moved into the area, a lot of our friends that already lived there recommended Brent’s to us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Of the four breaks he recommended, three were marked emergencies only.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Of course I did! Your new school recommended it.”
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
A manager at the Slip is recommending a renewed focus on to-go and delivery orders to weather the storm-heavy forecast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
In brief remarks, he said management was recommending a dissolution and that a partner vote would be forthcoming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
"The concerns to me were that Hall was recommending treatment for patients that he hadn't assessed, that he hadn't met, and that other GPs were uncomfortable with prescribing," Redvers said.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Amid the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, videos of a doctor recommending Vitamin D3 and zinc spread from accounts selling supplements, despite these being unable to treat the disease.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
“That’s the consequence I’m recommending to the school board.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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