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

“Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida,” the grand jury wrote, adding that witnesses also claimed not to remember who made the decision.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

"I remember the first time I looked through the electron microscope and saw those crystals," said Lin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

“I remember we would correspond over Twitter DMs, and she just seemed very excited to be helpful in any way,” Matthews said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

"She probably doesn't remember a time when we weren't reading stories."

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

“I remember the day you two arrived in Fernlight. Lots of chatter about the arrival of a lavender fox and her kit.”

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

Our writer remembers speaking to him for the 50th anniversary of his most iconic hit, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Sarah Williams vividly remembers watching her home burn down on the news.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Like many Kuwaitis, Salem Al-Ghanem still vividly remembers Iraqi tanks rolling through his hometown when his small Gulf state faced extinction had US troops not liberated it from invasion.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t trust me,” he remembers thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

And then, as if she remembers suddenly, she adds: “Clara! Not baby. I love you big, mature, thoughtful, getting-to-know.how-to-hear-herself Clara.”

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

It was then I remembered why it’s called Rally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

King Charles III sent his "most heartfelt condolences", while King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden remembered "a good friend to me, my family and to Sweden", and wished his godson Haakon "success and good fortune".

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

But locals remembered her more for her charitable giving and care for younger generations in blue-collar regions of her native east Tennessee.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

The Grammy-winning “Flowers” singer and “Hannah Montana” star remembered her “Aunt Dolly” on Wednesday in a remembrance posted to Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

At least I’d remembered to bring a sandwich today.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

It has become indispensable for organizing my waking hours, prioritizing critical tasks and remembering important obligations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Starting in the late 1970s, few broadcast specials worth remembering went without her presence.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

But it’s worth remembering that Congress consistently kicks the can down the road until it has no choice but to act, and that’s likely to be true in this case as well.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

I get a little misty remembering my own clumsy progress through that flower-filled minefield.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

It seemed as if he was remembering some other thing he had heard about Jessica, and it wasn’t going to be nice.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

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