recommend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
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
-
recommendernoun
-
prerecommendverb (used with object)
-
recommendableadjective
-
unrecommendableadjective
-
unrecommendedadjective
-
well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recommendsimple
-
recommendssimple
-
have recommendedperfect
-
has recommendedperfect
-
am recommendingprogressive
-
are recommendingprogressive
-
is recommendingprogressive
-
have been recommendingperfect progressive
-
has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
-
recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
-
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
"the insanity of selling junk food"
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Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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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:
Segro said late Wednesday that it would recommend Prologis’s latest proposal to shareholders if a formal offer were to be made.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Can you recommend 0% balance-transfer credit cards that offer higher credit limits?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The European steel and metal processor on Wednesday said it views Worthington Steel’s intentions as broadly positive, but that it is unable to recommend either acceptance or rejection of the offer to shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
He called her a week later and told her to never recommend that to anyone ever again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“My dad actually had two kids way before he met my mom, so my brother and sister are both in their twenties. It’s like having four parents. I don’t recommend the experience, by the way.”
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
UC also “strongly” recommends a fourth year of math and recommends a third year of science.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults at average risk begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
She also recommends making your own burgers with vegetables.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
A Barclays analyst now recommends Lumentum’s stock after a period of substantial underperformance relative to the broader chip sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Our medic recommends complete bed rest for you.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Some clinics call it the “wolverine compound” because of its healing properties, though New Zealand has recommended that BPC-157 is classified as a prescription drug.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Sir Laurie said she did get legal advice when buying the property, but failed to seek further expert tax advice as recommended.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The commission later also recommended a different portrayal of Trump for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin that it suggested making “as large as possible.”
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
But the counselor was recommended by someone she knew and had impressive credentials, so she did as she was told.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Reviewers called Kane’s work “magnificent,” “stirring,” and recommended it “be in the hands of parents and school children” everywhere.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The European steel and metal processor views the U.S. company’s intentions as broadly positive, but stopped short of recommending acceptance of the offer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The city is recommending “tamper-resistant steel cages around the units,” locking all exterior ladders and setting up motion-activated security cameras that would immediately notify business owners or landlords about unauthorized rooftop activity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Brazilian influencer Virginia Fonseca is facing a lawsuit after recommending that her 56 million Instagram followers place a bet on Cape Verde beating Argentina during the World Cup.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Former Conservative justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland, who launched a review into MP security after the death of Amess, said he had been recommending an increase in security for some political figures.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Victor was proud of his achievement, and went about recommending it and urging everyone to partake of it to excess.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
