recount
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recounts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recounted,
past participle, past
-
recounting
present participle
-
to relate or narrate; tell in detail; give the facts or particulars of.
- Synonyms:
- describe
-
to narrate in order.
-
to tell one by one; enumerate.
verb
Synonym Usage
See relate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recountsimple
-
recountssimple
-
have recountedperfect
-
has recountedperfect
-
am recountingprogressive
-
are recountingprogressive
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is recountingprogressive
-
have been recountingperfect progressive
-
has been recountingperfect progressive
Past
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recountedsimple
-
had recountedperfect
-
was recountingprogressive
-
were recountingprogressive
-
had been recountingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recount
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English recounten, from Middle French reconter, equivalent to re- + conter “to tell, count.” See re-, count 1
Explanation
As a verb, recount can mean either "tell the story of" or "add up again." As a noun, recount usually refers to the second (or third or fourth) tallying of votes in a close election. The word count comes from the old French conter, which means "add up" or "tell a story." Here's a story to recount (narrate): In an election featuring Count Dracula and Count Johnson, Dracula wins by two votes, so Johnson demands a recount (an adding up of the votes again). The officials recount (count again) the votes, and this time find Count Johnson the winner. Dracula threatens to bite the officials and they quickly change their minds.
Vocabulary lists containing recount
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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List 8
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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:
To speak of trauma is not only to recount an event; it is also to expose fear, helplessness, and loss of control.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
In an interview, Julia’s speech is halting, but she can still recount memories from the trip, including visits to Pompeii and Corfu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
On Wednesday, he offered to fund a recount of the election.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The witness, who said he had little love for Davis, remained hesitant when he took the stand on Tuesday to recount what happened.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“It would,” admitted Dr. Trefusis, “perhaps be salutary for you to recount it.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Earl Spencer recounts being alerted to the crash by a phone call from his sister Jane in the middle of the night at his home in Cape Town, South Africa.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
A warning alert sounded, but the elderly woman was "too old to run", he recounts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
This forceful memoir recounts the Waldrop household’s pilgrimages across America’s Holy Spirit-scorched heartland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Cyborg doesn't have to think for long as she recounts other standout moments in her career.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Herodotus recounts an earlier voyage that surpassed Nearchus and Pytheas in audacity: around 600, a Phoenician fleet hired by Pharaoh Necho actually circumnavigated the African continent.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
In his 2025 memoir, “Truly,” Richie recounted a chance run-in with the comedian George Burns at the Polo Lounge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Born on the Australian island of Tasmania, Flynn had an uncommonly colorful background, which he recounted with self-mythologizing verve in his memoir, “My Wicked, Wicked Ways.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
"I thought, well, which limb am I willing to lose? I'm right-handed, so I decided let's do a left hook," she recounted.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Survivors of massive flash floods in Nepal have recounted how they saw their loved ones disappear into torrents of mud.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“An atomic bomb was an intricate device, still in the developmental stage,” Compton recounted the conversation.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
And in the heart of the capital, near the British Museum, a pub has hung up an eight-metre embroidered "Beer Tapestry" recounting the history of brewing in a playful tribute to the more violent original.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Andreessen's writing began with him recounting lies he claimed people were spreading, and called for readers to push back against this.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
I had no quarrel with Cole recounting that lamentable story alongside mine, but we did have one occasional difference of emphasis.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
In the books and TV adaptations, Laura vividly narrates daily life on the prairie, recounting her adventures and mundane activities in such a way that many readers say they see themselves in adolescent Laura.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But not far into her recounting of the accident that killed Keith, Olsen said: “I know all about it.”
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
