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
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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
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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
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unrecommendableadjective
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unrecommendedadjective
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well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recommendsimple
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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
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has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
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recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
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was recommendingprogressive
-
were recommendingprogressive
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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
Nonetheless, CreditSights analysts recommend investors leave room to participate in future bond deals at possibly better entry prices as tech companies are expected to issue more debt in the coming years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 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
Because Otto’s engine was weak, heavy, and seven feet tall, it did not recommend itself over horses.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
She also recommends clients save items like pancakes and waffles for dessert later in the day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
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
A model that’s sold out at one dealership could be available somewhere else, so he recommends looking in different locations as well as online.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
It also recommends that, when possible, advice from the home team's safety officer can be sought.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
“I don’t like the thought of cutting them either, but it may be our only hope. Dr. Rush recommends it, he was bled himself when he was ill.”
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
A 4% annual withdrawal rate — the ballpark percentage recommended by advisers — from your $2.1 million retirement portfolio would give you roughly $84,000 per year, or $7,000 per month, before taxes.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
But the group of MPs were concerned about whether the level of rent on such properties for non-working royals was based on up-to-date valuations and recommended a more consistent approach to ensure value for money.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
In other words, patients recommended statins based on visible evidence of calcium buildup in their arteries were approximately 2.7 times as likely to follow their medication regimen.
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
A civil defense official in Las Vegas, Nevada, recommended the formation of a five-thousand-man militia—not to fight Russians, but to beat back Californians who might arrive once the bombs began to fall.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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
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
"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
Also ask whether he is acting as a fiduciary in recommending this particular investment and whether he or his firm has any financial relationship with the sponsor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The engineers subjected the airplanes to tests, capturing and analyzing the numbers, recommending improvements, some slight, others significant.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
