reminder
Americannoun
noun
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something that recalls the past
-
a note to remind a person of something not done
Etymology
Origin of reminder
Explanation
A reminder helps you remember something. If you write "don't forget lunch" on your arm every morning, it means you need a reminder to grab your brown paper bag on your way out the door. A reminder helps you remember, whether it's an appointment, an acquaintance's name, or a grocery list. You can give yourself a reminder, or write one to another person who's prone to forgetting details. The word's been around since the 1650s, and it came from remind, which originally meant "to remember." Later, remind came to mean "to make someone remember," or "to put someone in mind of something."
Vocabulary lists containing reminder
"Mexico City"
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"The Lemon Story"
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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.
Simple enough, but it was a reminder that end product is the currency that Salah deals in.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
“But it’s a reminder to all the barriers to Chinese investments.”
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
“It is a reminder that if the negotiations don’t work out in its favor, the U.S. can activate the other track, intensify influence campaigns, or even return to threats,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
These events are a reminder of how we are completely taken by surprise, and how such short spaces of time show the limits of traditional warning systems.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2026
The reminder I didn’t want is now mine.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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.
