recommend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recommends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recommended,
past participle, past
-
recommending
present participle
-
to present as worthy of confidence, acceptance, use, etc.; commend; mention favorably.
to recommend an applicant for a job; to recommend a book.
- Antonyms:
- condemn
-
to represent or urge as advisable or expedient.
to recommend caution.
-
to advise, as an alternative; suggest (a choice, course of action, etc.) as appropriate, beneficial, or the like.
He recommended the blue-plate special. The doctor recommended special exercises for her.
- Synonyms:
- counsel
-
to make desirable or attractive.
a plan that has very little to recommend it.
verb (used without object)
-
recommends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recommended,
past participle, past
-
recommending
present participle
noun
verb
-
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to advise as the best course or choice; counsel
to recommend prudence
-
to praise or commend
to recommend a new book
-
to make attractive or advisable
the trip has little to recommend it
-
archaic to entrust (a person or thing) to someone else's care; commend
Usage
Spelling tips for recommend The word recommend is hard to spell because it is tricky to know whether the c, the m, and/or the n is doubled. How to spell recommend: The easiest way to remember how to spell recommend is to break it into three parts: re - com - mend. You can keep these three sections in mind with the sentence: "I recommend that you rely commonly on mending."
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
recommendernoun
-
prerecommendverb (used with object)
-
recommendableadjective
-
unrecommendableadjective
-
unrecommendedadjective
-
well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recommendsimple
-
recommendssimple
-
have recommendedperfect
-
has recommendedperfect
-
am recommendingprogressive
-
are recommendingprogressive
-
is recommendingprogressive
-
have been recommendingperfect progressive
-
has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
-
recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
-
was recommendingprogressive
-
were recommendingprogressive
-
had been recommendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recommend
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English recommenden, from Medieval Latin recommendāre; equivalent to re- + commend
Explanation
If you recommend a person or thing is to vouch for them. Recommend can also be to advise. If your doctor recommended an exercise program to you that's changed your life, you might recommend your doctor to your friends. Recommend is connected to the verb commend "to praise." They are both spelled with one c and two m's, reflecting the prefixes re- and com-. These verbs overlap in some uses: you can recommend or commend an applicant for employment. But commend is used for special or public praise: "He was commended for bravery."
Vocabulary lists containing recommend
Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"the insanity of selling junk food"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Encourage
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Former employees of the four higher-hour companies said in interviews they felt pressure to recommend long therapy schedules for children, and that centers sometimes turned away children who needed low weekly hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
As for dessert, I recommend keeping things almost aggressively simple.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The researchers recommend using hurricane forecast graphics alongside local weather predictions and detailed information about possible impacts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk responded to Anthropic’s announcement in an X post, saying: “I recommend giving the shares directly to the public,” later adding, “This is what I will be doing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Absolutely. And what do you recommend we do in that regard?”
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
She recommends their salary remain a marital asset to show that the marital estate is receiving a benefit from their employment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
The utility recommends setting air conditioners to 78 degrees, closing curtains during peak sun hours and using fans to circulate the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
He recommends sticking with megacap tech leaders like the “Magnificent Seven,” which will be less impacted by high interest rates.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
The latest draft recommends cutting back the original proposal most heavily in the area that covers international aid, with the cut being 17 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Lighthouse International recommends 16 to 18 point font depending upon typefaces.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Vail has recommended that its shareholders reject all of the Oasis candidates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Over the 50 trading days prior to market tops, in contrast, the average short-term market timer increases his recommended exposure level by less than four percentage points.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
But the Ocean Protection Council, an agency nested within the California Natural Resources Agency, recommended approving both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Only around 1993 did that accuracy begin to falter and the global population began falling behind the forecasts — because the world began to do what von Foerster and his colleagues recommended it do.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
How dare he read a book I recommended?
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Amid the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, videos of a doctor recommending Vitamin D3 and zinc spread from accounts selling supplements, despite these being unable to treat the disease.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal carried a series of interviews with major U.S. fund managers, several of whom, like Pimco’s Dan Ivascyn and BlackRock’s Rick Rieder recommending investors take advantage of higher yields.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Authorities are putting together a case to submit to the Orange County district attorney’s office recommending that he be charged with making a false report of an emergency, Garcia said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Many advisers are recommending short- and intermediate-term maturities over longer-term ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
On August 11, he drafted a memo to John Ehrlichman recommending: “A covert operation be undertaken to examine all the medical files still held by Ellsberg’s psychoanalyst.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
