remembrance

American  

[ri-mem-bruhns] / rɪˈmɛm brəns /

noun

• remembrances
  plural

1. a retained mental impression; memory.

   Synonyms:

   reminiscence, recollection

2. the act or fact of remembering.

3. the power or faculty of remembering.

   Synonyms:

   memory

4. the length of time over which recollection or memory extends.

5. the state of being remembered; commemoration.

   to hold someone's name in remembrance.

6. something that serves to bring to mind or keep in mind some place, person, event, etc.; memento.

   Synonyms:

   memorial, token, souvenir, trophy, keepsake

7. a gift given as a token of love or friendship.

   I sent her a small remembrance on Mother's Day.

8. remembrances, greetings; respects.

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remembrance British  

/ rɪˈmɛmbrəns /

noun

1. the act of remembering or state of being remembered

2. something that is remembered; reminiscence

3. a memento or keepsake

4. the extent in time of one's power of recollection

5. 1. the act of honouring some past event, person, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a remembrance service

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonremembrance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• remembrances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of remembrance

1300–50; Middle English < Old French; see remember, -ance

Explanation

Remembrance is when someone remembers things — your grandfather might have uncanny remembrance of his childhood, for example. The noun remembrance is really just another way to say "memory." It's the process of remembering things that happened in the past. In Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," the character of Ophelia famously says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." The smell of the herb has actually been shown to improve memory, and has historically been a symbol of remembrance. Early uses of remembrance had the meaning "keepsake or souvenir."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remembrance remembrances

However, in contemporary Austria, demands for remembrance are increasingly clashing with "the opposite tendency, namely to say: 'Now this really has to stop'," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 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

When McCain died in 2018, Graham delivered a tearful remembrance of his friend on the Senate floor and then came up to the press gallery for a question-and-answer session with reporters.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

“They felt ashamed at what they learned, channeling their emotions into a powerful remembrance movement,” writes Jeffrey Katz, the child of German-born Holocaust survivors, in “Unsettled Ground: Reflections on Germany’s Attempts to Make Amends.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The song was both a remembrance and a prayer as the men’s voices floated out over the audience.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Head was nothing like that fiction, demonstrated in the many remembrances that are still circulating in the wake of his death, which follows that of his wife, Sarah Fisher, by a matter of months.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” begins with “As You Lie There,” his fond remembrances about a schoolboy crush.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

Savannah also shared a photo on Instagram of yellow flowers from the growing memorial with remembrances by neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026

He launches a passionate defence of preserving remembrances of the past, even if that past is "problematic" as a way of "ensuring public memory of its injustice".

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

All down the way the sudden revealment, the flash of familiar eyes, the cry of an old, old name, the remembrances of other times, the crowd multiplying.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Related Words

• commemoration
• memento
• memorial
• reminder