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
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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
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recommendernoun
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prerecommendverb (used with object)
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recommendableadjective
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unrecommendableadjective
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unrecommendedadjective
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well-recommendedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recommendsimple
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recommendssimple
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have recommendedperfect
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has recommendedperfect
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am recommendingprogressive
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are recommendingprogressive
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is recommendingprogressive
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have been recommendingperfect progressive
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has been recommendingperfect progressive
Past
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recommendedsimple
-
had recommendedperfect
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was recommendingprogressive
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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
"the insanity of selling junk food"
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Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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Encourage
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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.
See Examples For:
Doctors often recommend low-fat, low-carbohydrate, or Mediterranean diets for weight loss, but researchers have not known whether one approach provides extra metabolic advantages beyond the effects of losing weight.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Since taking over at the Fed, Warsh has formed a number of task forces to recommend potentially major reforms at the central bank.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
I’m loath to recommend that your friend exit one costly lawsuit only to enter another one.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
For the best chance of seeing the eclipse, astronomers recommend finding a high location with an unobstructed view towards the south-western horizon.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“I don’t know, but I recommend it,” Con said, and handed her a wooden-handled knife with a blade made of thin, strong stone.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Courtright recommends focusing on employees’ interests instead of trying to project a certain image as a leader.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
An empowering message isn’t one that recommends the opposite of long-standing guidance.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Rather than depending on a single overhead light, Clarke recommends building up different sources from around the room.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Current dietary guidance generally recommends keeping saturated fat below 10% of daily calories and choosing unsaturated fats when possible.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Vincent tells Theo to give Bague his best if he sees him, and he recommends two other paintings Bague might like: a vineyard and a night sky.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Despite the widespread detection of mycotoxins, the levels measured in the UK products remained below recommended EU guideline levels.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Official monitoring in 2025 recorded an annual average concentration of fine particles in Obilic's air more than twice the level recommended by the World Health Organization.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
He also brought forward a plan to end subscription traps and ban shops using misleading recommended retail prices, which can make it seem like discounts are larger than they really are.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
In December, L.A.’s housing department recommended that city officials adopt rules making it clear that tenants have a right to review master utility bills and create a process for tenants to dispute charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Dr. Spires had recommended even more tests for Fig, which my parents had said we’d consider, but for now we would follow his other suggestion to “wait and see.”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
“Investors may also consider selling VIX Sep puts to fund call spreads for flat premium,” the strategists said, recommending selling a VIX Sep 16 put and buying a 20/25 call spread.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
These include restricting direct messaging for children under 16, not recommending this age group's content to strangers, and allowing parents to set screen-time limits and block accounts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Norfolk Southern has publicly disagreed, saying the only motivation in recommending vent and burn “was the health and safety of the community and first responders.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Others have been quoting Clement Attlee, recommending "a period of silence".
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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
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.
