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

And it’s important to remember that Tanden has been involved in basically every big-ticket Democratic Party project of her lifetime.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

She followed the statement by looking straight into the camera and addressing Gaga, “I hope you watch, and I hope you remember what you did. And I feel like you owe me an apology.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

This is critical to remember as more corporate decisions are outsourced to artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Quiz: Do you remember the big names who took aim at football club chiefs?

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 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

She remembers paying $2 a pound for ground beef; now she is paying $8, she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

She still remembers the moment she finally found the courage to follow her stand-up dreams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Even in the midst of her poor care at the time of her daughter's death, Katie, 41, vividly remembers one midwife who showed some compassion.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Someone’s having band practice in the studio next to me, and I was getting myself so worked up,” she remembers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

I hear footsteps in the kitchen upstairs and wonder if anyone remembers that they need to feed us.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

As a manager, Wenger is remembered as a legendary figure who changed English football with his forward-thinking approach to tactics and nutrition.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

An obituary shared with Realtor.com remembered the music legend for far more than her decades of chart-topping success.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Eventually he remembered he had tried connecting his webcams to another app, which likely was insecure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

We want our preferences remembered, our mistakes corrected and our food ready precisely when promised.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Clare smiled in an attempt to smooth things over, then remembered that his hideous toothy grin did more harm than good.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

This enchantment was captured by a 24-year-old Virginia Woolf, who visited an English fen and its surroundings in 1906, and described the area as a “strange, gray-green, undulating, dreaming, philosophizing and remembering land.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 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

Clearly remembering how Carr killed off Faith early on, Kemp got understandably fearful he had been killed by a traitor.

From BBC ● 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

"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

Related Words

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