Synonyms

remember

American

[ri-mem-ber] / rɪˈmɛm bər /

verb (used with object)

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

Remember your appointment with the dentist.

Antonyms:

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

I just remembered that it's your birthday today.
to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee.

The company always remembers us at Christmas.
to give a tip, donation, or gift to.

to remember someone in need.
to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings.

Remember me to your family.
(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.
Archaic. to remind.

verb (used without object)

to possess or exercise the faculty of memory.
to have recollection (sometimes followed byof ).

The old man remembers of his youth.

remember British

/ rɪˈmɛmbə /

verb

to become aware of (something forgotten) again; bring back to one's consciousness; recall
to retain (an idea, intention, etc) in one's conscious mind

to remember Pythagoras' theorem
remember to do one's shopping
(tr) to give money, etc, to (someone), as in a will or in tipping
to mention (a person's name) to another person, as by way of greeting or friendship

remember me to your mother
(tr) to mention (a person) favourably, as in prayer
(tr) to commemorate (a person, event, etc)

to remember the dead of the wars
to recover one's good manners after a lapse; stop behaving badly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

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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:

remember remembers remembered remembering

Few in finance today have much memory of the lost decade for U.S. stocks of the 2000s, but hardly any remember the much worse 1970s.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Shock and dissociation can make memories fragmented, and people may remember additional details over time.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

“If there’s anything tumultuous happening now . . . I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been paying attention,” she jokes, “just remember that historically, an enlightenment of epic proportions is probably not far off.”

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

"It's a shame that we have to force ourselves to remember what we've achieved. It's so hard to win this league and we did it twice in a row! You can't take that for granted."

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

I remember telling him between sobs that Mr. Harris had died, and him hugging me tighter, telling me that he was sorry.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

He started his career at SpiceJet, said Captain Gurucharan Arora, former director of flight operations at the low-cost Indian carrier, who remembers supervising him on a simulator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Her parents divorced during her early childhood, and Navarrette remembers first telling her mother she wanted to be an actress around age 5.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Antonio Varela remembers the website's launch like it was yesterday.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Discussing his India trip, the “Primetime” version of Hansen remembers an alleged witness to the kidnappings, who describes the perpetrator as a monstrous ancient evil lurking in the dark.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

She remembers to talk honestly about hot cars and aisles at the grocery store and not going beyond where the big red barn can see Axel.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Was she explicitly told that she could add to or amend her statement if she remembered more about what happened?

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

Close won the EBU super-middleweight title on St Patrick's Day in 1993 but it was his bouts against Eubank for which he will be most remembered.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

We both remembered “Sweet Caroline,” but then the most common thing he would do is duets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Dame Esther Rantzen's commitment to charitable causes is something she will forever be remembered for.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Then I remembered that Leendert was away for a few days setting up electrical warning systems like ours in several of our host homes.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

As the U.S. celebrates the animal named its national mammal in 2016, it’s worth remembering a seeming paradox: Economic forces devastated the buffalo and then, more than any act of Congress, brought it back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The researchers also note that food frequency questionnaires rely on participants accurately remembering what they ate, which can introduce recall bias.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

And when you’re talking about third places, it’s worth remembering we’ve systematically defunded after-school programs, orchestras, art programs, senior centers.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026

Des Collins, senior partner of Collins Solicitors, said: "Today is about remembering the real-life consequences of responsibilities, at a local and state level."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

"But if you will excuse me for talking like a crazy Traveler— remembering that my father was one, and it is only to be expected—let me remind you of what we do know."

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023