recall

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitiveformal

   To remember something from the past.

   Grammar: Takes an object or an -ing/that clause: recall meeting her; recall that it rained.

   Patterns

   • recall something
   • recall doing something
   • recall that

   I can't recall his name.

   Do you recall where you left the keys?

2. 2verbtransitive

   To order someone to return, or to ask for a product to be sent back.

   Grammar: Takes an object: the company recalled the cars.

   Patterns

   • recall something
   • recall someone from somewhere

   The government recalled its ambassador.

   The maker recalled thousands of faulty toasters.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountable

   An official request to return a faulty product, or the ability to remember.

   Grammar: Countable for a product: a recall; uncountable for memory: total recall.

   Patterns

   • a recall of something
   • recall of something

   The recall affected over a million cars.

   She has remarkable recall of faces.

Word forms

Common combinations

vaguely recall

I vaguely recall the story.

recall an incident

He recalled the incident in detail.

product recall

A product recall was announced.

recall an ambassador

The country recalled its ambassador.

as far as I recall

As far as I recall, it was Tuesday.

Synonyms and how they differ

remember

The everyday word; recall is more formal and suggests making an effort.

recollect

More formal and slightly old-fashioned.

call back

Used only for the order-to-return sense.

Opposites

Word family

recollection noun

a memory

recallable adjective

able to be recalled

Commonly confused: recall or recollect? recall or remind?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “recall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words