remember
Americanverb (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.
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to give a tip, donation, or gift to.
to remember someone in need.
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to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings.
Remember me to your family.
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(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.
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
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(tr) to give money, etc, to (someone), as in a will or in tipping
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to mention (a person's name) to another person, as by way of greeting or friendship
remember me to your mother
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(tr) to mention (a person) favourably, as in prayer
-
(tr) to commemorate (a person, event, etc)
to remember the dead of the wars
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to recover one's good manners after a lapse; stop behaving badly
Related Words
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
- rememberable adjective
- rememberer noun
- unremembered adjective
- unremembering adjective
- well-remembered adjective
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” ( memory ) + -ārī infinitive suffix
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.
Even then, I remember thinking: “This can’t be right.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
I have a soft spot for the cinnamon coffee cake from Starbucks — or rather, for what I remember it being like when I was 12.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
Katha Pollitt, who wrote a column for the Nation, is honestly the only prominent feminist writer whose name I remember regularly seeing in the pages of newspapers and magazines.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
Many people would probably leave 100% of their assets to their wife and/or second wife, so it’s thoroughly decent of him to remember his sister.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
“Just remember that, and put one foot in front of the other. That is all you have got to do, and we shall get there.”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
