recount
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recounts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recounted,
past participle, past
-
recounting
present participle
-
to relate or narrate; tell in detail; give the facts or particulars of.
- Synonyms:
- describe
-
to narrate in order.
-
to tell one by one; enumerate.
verb
Synonym Usage
See relate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recountsimple
-
recountssimple
-
have recountedperfect
-
has recountedperfect
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am recountingprogressive
-
are recountingprogressive
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is recountingprogressive
-
have been recountingperfect progressive
-
has been recountingperfect progressive
Past
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recountedsimple
-
had recountedperfect
-
was recountingprogressive
-
were recountingprogressive
-
had been recountingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recount
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English recounten, from Middle French reconter, equivalent to re- + conter “to tell, count.” See re-, count 1
Explanation
As a verb, recount can mean either "tell the story of" or "add up again." As a noun, recount usually refers to the second (or third or fourth) tallying of votes in a close election. The word count comes from the old French conter, which means "add up" or "tell a story." Here's a story to recount (narrate): In an election featuring Count Dracula and Count Johnson, Dracula wins by two votes, so Johnson demands a recount (an adding up of the votes again). The officials recount (count again) the votes, and this time find Count Johnson the winner. Dracula threatens to bite the officials and they quickly change their minds.
Vocabulary lists containing recount
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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List 8
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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:
On Wednesday, he offered to fund a recount of the election.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The witness, who said he had little love for Davis, remained hesitant when he took the stand on Tuesday to recount what happened.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
As insiders recount it, the deal sounds deceptively simple.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
The podcast will recount Mizuhara’s life before he began working for Ohtani in 2013 when both were with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
I remember the tiger lily cookie and, now that Peeta is talking to me again, it’s all I can do not to recount the whole story about President Snow.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Mr. Nichols also recounts the extraordinary tale of Louisa May Alcott, to whom the Atlantic Monthly’s editor, James Fields, memorably said, “stick to your teaching; you can’t write.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
In his 2012 autobiography "An American Son," the man oft-memed as the "viceroy" of Cuba, recounts boasting to his exiled Cuban grandfather that he would one day overthrow Fidel Castro and free Cuba.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The majority’s decision in Barbara recounts how before the 14th Amendment’s ratification, Americans followed the long-standing common-law rule making persons born on American soil citizens by birth.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
"It smelled like plastic burning. It stung my nose," Chanate recounts.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
The commander from 2, a middle-aged woman named Lyme, takes us on a virtual tour of the Nut, its interior and fortifications, and recounts the failed attempts to seize it.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The painting portrays a moment in an ancient Cretan myth recounted in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”: Zeus descends to Earth, transforms himself into a white bull and lolls among the herds belonging to the Phoenician king.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Andrius Banevicius, the public information officer for Connecticut's Department of Correction, recounted how Smith used to feed the birds while in Osborn prison, earning him the nickname The Birdman of Osborn.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Multiple parents recounted a Christmas photo-op in which an ICE agent dressed as Santa Claus shoved away children who tried to hug him, then vanished with his treats the moment the cameras disappeared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Melania, 56, recounted how she prayed as she fought to get her family to safety.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Each moment of the night recounted itself in his mind, blurring together like pages in a book; one in particular stayed dog-eared.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Andreessen's writing began with him recounting lies he claimed people were spreading, and called for readers to push back against this.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
I had no quarrel with Cole recounting that lamentable story alongside mine, but we did have one occasional difference of emphasis.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Sometimes they featured celebrities recounting past glories or promoting their newest releases.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
In 2024, Rushdie published a memoir recounting the near-death experience called "Knife," in which he has an imagined conversation with Matar.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Abel gave lectures at schools, recounting his experiences in America and encouraging bright young men and women to consider a life of espionage.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
