Meaning & use
from memory
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
By remembering something rather than reading it or looking it up.
Grammar: Used after a verb such as say, sing, or know; it answers the question 'how?'
Patterns
- say something from memory
- sing something from memory
- know something from memory
- recite something from memory
She stood up and recited the whole poem from memory.
I can't give you the number from memory — let me check my phone.
He played the song from memory, without any sheet music.
phrasefixed phrasecomputingtechnical
Using only what is stored in a computer's memory, not on a disk or the internet.
Grammar: Technical use; it comes after verbs like load, read, or run.
Patterns
- load something from memory
- read something from memory
- run something from memory
The program runs directly from memory, so it starts very fast.
The old machine could only load files from memory.
Common combinations
- recite something from memory
- The children recited their lines from memory.
- play something from memory
- She can play the whole sonata from memory.
- know something from memory
- I know your phone number from memory.
- say something from memory
- He said the prayer from memory.
- learn something from memory
- In those days we learned long passages from memory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- by heart
- Very close in meaning and often used for things you have learned perfectly; it is more common than 'from memory' with songs and poems.
- off the top of your head
- Informal and suggests giving an answer without checking; it does not imply you have learned the thing well.
- by rote
- Suggests repeating something mechanically without understanding it, so it is more negative than 'from memory'.
Opposites
Word family
- memory noun
- The ability to remember things, or something you remember.
- memorize verb
- To learn something so well that you can repeat it exactly.
- memorization noun
- The act of learning something by repeating it until you know it.
- memorable adjective
- Easy to remember because it is special or unusual.
Commonly confused: from memory or in memory of?
from memory vs in memory of
This means 'to remember and honor someone who has died', as in a statue in memory of a poet. It is not the same as doing something from memory.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'from memory' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'From memory' follows a verb such as sing, say, or recite and describes how the action is done, so 'sang the national anthem from memory' fits. Option A wrongly attaches 'of her notes', option C uses it as a sentence opener with the wrong meaning, and option D confuses it with computer storage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “from memory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.