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semantic memory

British  

noun

  1. the recollection of facts and concepts Compare episodic memory

"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

Example Sentences

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By combining task based experiments with fMRI data, the team found no measurable difference in brain activity between successful episodic and semantic memory retrieval.

From Science Daily Feb. 3, 2026

A semantic memory can be recalled as though it were episodic and vice versa, in degrees.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 17, 2025

To find out how cuttlefish memory might change over time, researchers first tested their semantic memory, or their recall of facts.

From Science Magazine Aug. 18, 2021

In psychology, episodic memory is distinguished from semantic memory.

From The Guardian Jan. 28, 2020

If she repeats information ad nauseam—“Bedtime is ten o’clock!”—it sometimes sticks, becoming a new semantic memory.

From The New Yorker Mar. 23, 2015

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