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

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he was struggling to remember what day it was.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

“I remember Joe standing in the elevator and bumping into people.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The first time I remember hearing Barack Obama’s name was in late 2006 or early 2007.

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

Paramedics who treated her after the crash testified during a 2024 preliminary hearing that she appeared confused and could not remember the moments leading up to the deadly wreck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

I don’t remember being this thirsty in my life.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Everyone over 35 remembers the bloody civil war of 1997—and those younger grew up in its shadow.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

“It grounded me to be able to listen to someone not in the physical form,” Elsesser remembers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

AfD state lawmaker Daniel Wald, 44, compared the unbridled happiness to the collective joy he remembers witnessing as a child on the day the Berlin Wall fell.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

Ibbie, the 16-year-old treated at Sheffield's CEW clinic, remembers some dark days.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Well, Old Johnny must have been born in Biblical Times, as no one else remembers such water in Snapfinger before.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

“I then noticed the decades-old Japanese maple trees—as if perfectly managed and manicured by nature. They were so different than anything I remembered from growing up in the city.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

"Mr. Tung dedicated his life with an unwavering commitment to the service of the Nation and the Hong Kong SAR. His contributions with integrity, compassion, and dignity will be well remembered," it said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

When an event once remembered in minute detail becomes a date others know only from history, the passage of one’s own life becomes newly visible.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

One person I met in Vlore told me he remembered aid packages being flown in from Italy full of long-expired pasta.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

I remembered Mam tossing hay in our field with Da one fall day.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Nor should its members confuse remembering everything with understanding anything.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Each way of remembering draws a boundary around the terrorism the nation experienced, deciding how far beyond that September morning its meaning should extend.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Then the smart gene kicked in, remembering it’s a penalty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

It’s a small sample—one trip, and a dozen meals, and a mainland I’m remembering as much as reporting on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

But I was having a hard time remembering that there was anything to be careful about.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Related Words

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