remembrance

American  

[ri-mem-bruhns] / rɪˈmɛm brəns /

noun

remembrances plural

1. a retained mental impression; memory.

   Synonyms:

   reminiscence, recollection

2. the act or fact of remembering.

3. the power or faculty of remembering.

   Synonyms:

   memory

4. the length of time over which recollection or memory extends.

5. the state of being remembered; commemoration.

   to hold someone's name in remembrance.

6. something that serves to bring to mind or keep in mind some place, person, event, etc.; memento.

   Synonyms:

   memorial, token, souvenir, trophy, keepsake

7. a gift given as a token of love or friendship.

   I sent her a small remembrance on Mother's Day.

8. remembrances, greetings; respects.

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remembrance British  

/ rɪˈmɛmbrəns /

noun

1. the act of remembering or state of being remembered

2. something that is remembered; reminiscence

3. a memento or keepsake

4. the extent in time of one's power of recollection

5. 1. the act of honouring some past event, person, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a remembrance service

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonremembrance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• remembrances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of remembrance

1300–50; Middle English < Old French; see remember, -ance

Explanation

Remembrance is when someone remembers things — your grandfather might have uncanny remembrance of his childhood, for example. The noun remembrance is really just another way to say "memory." It's the process of remembering things that happened in the past. In Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," the character of Ophelia famously says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." The smell of the herb has actually been shown to improve memory, and has historically been a symbol of remembrance. Early uses of remembrance had the meaning "keepsake or souvenir."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remembrance remembrances

A service of remembrance for them had been due to take place at St James Church in Biddenham on Sunday, but the church said expected turnout was "far beyond what we can safely accommodate".

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

It is, at moments, elegiac in its remembrance of the people whose suffering and resistance gave birth to the citizenship clause.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

Nonetheless, Rollins played four days later in Boston -- driving there as flights were grounded -- for a concert that became a live album of remembrance to victims of the attack.

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

Erasing the memory of a loved one might seem like a mercy on our darkest days, but remembrance is what keeps their light with us.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

The song was both a remembrance and a prayer as the men’s voices floated out over the audience.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

He was also a personal friend of Jones, and “Seriously Silly,” along with personal stories and remembrances, imparts a lovely sense of Mr. Ross chuckling to himself as he writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

He launches a passionate defence of preserving remembrances of the past, even if that past is "problematic" as a way of "ensuring public memory of its injustice".

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

Many remembrances circulating since Reiner’s shocking murder cite the significance of Meathead and Archie Bunker’s commitment to coexist, however uncomfortable that was in such close quarters.

From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2025

“I’m doing this on my own terms, which I’m grateful for,” he said during an hourlong lunch that was heavy on remembrances and void of regrets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2025

His focus, indeed his obsession, was the interior architecture of his own remembrances, the construction of an Adams version of American history, a spacious room of his own within the American pantheon.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• commemoration
• memento
• memorial
• reminder