Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

reminder

American  
[ri-mahyn-der] / rɪˈmaɪn dər /

noun

  • reminders
    plural
  1. a person or thing that serves to remind.


reminder British  
/ rɪˈmaɪndə /

noun

  1. something that recalls the past

  2. a note to remind a person of something not done

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of reminder

First recorded in 1645–55; remind + -er 1

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing reminder

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.

See Examples For:

The plates are a reminder of a time in the 1980s when Brown-Forman acquired the Lenox china company and a luggage brand to diversify.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 23, 2026

Cross, who played in The Hundred final for Sunrisers Leeds last weekend, is due to play the reminder of the season for Lancashire, including against The Blaze on Sunday in Nottingham.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

In my case, the monthly annuity for my estranged daughter will be a reminder, every month for the rest of her life, that her father was still there and still cared about her.

From MarketWatch Aug. 21, 2026

A bombed-out locomotive from the Korean War remains near Woljeong-ri station as a reminder of the division.

From Barron's Aug. 21, 2026

Inside of this, too, was a secondary message to the black community itself, a reminder that progress was possible, that our worth was measurable.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

OpenAI is also introducing regular reminders for young people to take a break from using the tool, reminding them ChatGPT is AI, and saying "it can wait".

From BBC Aug. 18, 2026

“There’s lots of research showing that just simple reminders are really effective in getting people to save. It’s not a persuasion method. It’s really just ‘I brought this to the top of my mind.’

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 7, 2026

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Ashton Lansdell is tattooed with reminders of her faith in herself.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 2, 2026

With things like paid time off, send her multiple reminders.

From MarketWatch Jul. 31, 2026

Half an hour, at least—we've gotten into position just before curfew—and we've been killing time by barking reminders and observations to each other.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training