remember

American  

[ri-mem-ber] / rɪˈmɛm bər /

verb (used with object)

• remembers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• remembered,
  past participle,  past
• remembering
  present participle

1. to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; think of again.

   I'll try to remember the exact date.

   Antonyms:

   forget

2. to retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of.

   Remember your appointment with the dentist.

   Antonyms:

   forget

3. to have (something) come into the mind again.

   I just remembered that it's your birthday today.

4. to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee.

   The company always remembers us at Christmas.

5. to give a tip, donation, or gift to.

   to remember someone in need.

6. to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings.

   Remember me to your family.

7. (of an appliance, computer, etc.) to perform (a programmed activity) at a later time or according to a preset schedule.

   The coffeepot remembers to start the coffee at 7 a.m. every day.

8. Archaic. to remind.

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verb (used without object)

• remembers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• remembered,
  past participle,  past
• remembering
  present participle

1. to possess or exercise the faculty of memory.

2. to have recollection (sometimes followed byof ).

   The old man remembers of his youth.

remember British  

/ rɪˈmɛmbə /

verb

1. to become aware of (something forgotten) again; bring back to one's consciousness; recall

2. to retain (an idea, intention, etc) in one's conscious mind

   to remember Pythagoras' theorem

   remember to do one's shopping

3. (tr) to give money, etc, to (someone), as in a will or in tipping

4. to mention (a person's name) to another person, as by way of greeting or friendship

   remember me to your mother

5. (tr) to mention (a person) favourably, as in prayer

6. (tr) to commemorate (a person, event, etc)

   to remember the dead of the wars

7. to recover one's good manners after a lapse; stop behaving badly

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Synonym Usage

Remember, recall, recollect refer to bringing back before the conscious mind things which exist in the memory. Remember implies that a thing exists in the memory, though not actually present in the thoughts at the moment: to remember the days of one's childhood. Recall implies a voluntary effort, though not a great one: to recall the words of a song. Recollect implies an earnest voluntary effort to remember some definite, desired fact or thing: I cannot recollect the exact circumstances.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rememberer
  noun
• rememberable
  adjective
• unremembered
  adjective
• unremembering
  adjective
• well-remembered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• remembering
  present
• remembered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• remember
  simple
• remembers
  simple
• have remembered
  perfect
• has remembered
  perfect
• am remembering
  progressive
• are remembering
  progressive
• is remembering
  progressive
• have been remembering
  perfect progressive
• has been remembering
  perfect progressive

Past

• remembered
  simple
• had remembered
  perfect
• was remembering
  progressive
• were remembering
  progressive
• had been remembering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will remember
  simple
• will have remembered
  perfect
• will be remembering
  progressive
• will have been remembering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of remember

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English remembren, from Old French remembrer, from Late Latin rememorārī, equivalent to re- re- + Latin memor “mindful” ( see memory) + -ārī infinitive suffix

Explanation

To remember is to recollect, or to call upon your memory. Remember that time you fell out of your tree house and bonked your head? No? Go figure. There are many shades of meaning of remember, but at its core it refers to the act of recalling or thinking back. You can remember something fondly, like your first kiss, or you might remember something suddenly, like when the smell of tar brings back the time your bicycle wheel got caught in a pot hole and you fell off. To remember someone means you show appreciation, like when the Oscar winners try to remember all those names.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remember remembers remembered remembering

Many fans and members of the coaches' families also visited London for the first time, and ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said they had "an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives".

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Experiencing “Fjord” is more like playing a puzzle game than watching a film — viewers will be better served if they remember specific details for later.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

You might remember Pamela as the killer in the original film—a trivia fact horror fans love to share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

“I remember it made me want to quit music,” he says, which draws a frown from his bandmate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

I remember it was a kind of collage, full of cutout pictures of circus life, with clowns and acrobats and jugglers and horses, and elephants, of course, lots of elephants.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Lynn remembers at least once when a new pilot joined in a pursuit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

"She was laughing every day, with everybody," she remembers.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Nooria, which is not her real name, still remembers one of the moments that made her want to be a doctor.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

When he was a teenager, Walters remembers, he dove into some catfish holes so vast he couldn’t find the back.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

A mom who remembers things like cookies for synagogue.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

But then they remembered something the local council had told them: a museum had previously asked landowners in the area for permission to remove the tree.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

For this essay, I used it to track down a magazine article I dimly remembered reading almost 40 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Charlene remembered her nephew as a source of happiness in her home, a cheerful presence who once used his allowance to buy his mother a stuffed unicorn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

And though he’s reticent to talk about his age or beliefs, at 64, Cruise seems to know how he wants to be remembered: not a Hollywood star, but a movie star.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026

I felt nervous, and my stomach got all twisted in knots when I remembered it.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

"I'm a bit nervous about these things. I was just happy gaping and remembering things," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

I am learning from this experience and will carry those lessons with me, including remembering that there is more to life than racing and knowing when it is right to step away.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

It bears remembering that community banks are fundamentally in the business of lending, not forecasting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Members of the Moneyist Facebook Group also suggest remembering the staff in your 24-hour bonanza at these two establishments.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

That night Sadako lay awake for a long time, remembering everything about the day.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr

Related Words

• commemorate
• get
• learn
• look back
• recall
• recognize
• relive
• remind