Meaning & use
record
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Meanings
nouncountable
Written or stored information about facts or events, kept so that it can be checked later.
Grammar: Often plural: medical records; stress falls on the first syllable.
Patterns
- a record of something
- keep a record of something
The nurse keeps a record of every patient's temperature.
Birth records go back more than two hundred years.
Please keep a record of your expenses.
nouncountablesport
The best result ever achieved in a sport or activity, measured by time, distance or number.
Grammar: Often used with break or set: break the record.
Patterns
- set a record
- break a record
- the record for something
She set a new record for the mile.
The team broke the record for most wins in a season.
His record still stands after twenty years.
nounsingular
What is known about a person's past behavior, achievements, or mistakes.
Grammar: Usually singular with a modifier: a clean record, a criminal record.
Patterns
- a record of doing something
- a good record on something
The driver has a clean record after ten years.
The company has a poor record on safety.
He has an excellent record as a teacher.
nouncountablemusic
A flat disc that plays recorded music when turned on a player.
Grammar: Countable: a record, old records; also called vinyl.
Patterns
- play a record
- put on a record
My grandfather still plays records on Sunday evenings.
She bought a record at the flea market.
The old record crackled before the song started.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To save sound, pictures, or information so that it can be heard, seen, or read later.
Grammar: Stress falls on the second syllable: to record a song; it can also be used without an object: the camera is recording.
Patterns
- record something
- record something on something
- record someone doing something
The band recorded their first album in a garage.
Please record the meeting so that absent staff can listen later.
The camera recorded the thief climbing over the fence.
Word forms
| plural | records |
|---|---|
| third person singular | records |
| past tense | recorded |
| past participle | recorded |
| -ing form | recording |
Common combinations
- break a record
- The swimmer broke the world record by two seconds.
- keep a record
- Keep a record of every payment you make.
- on record
- It was the hottest July on record.
- off the record
- The minister spoke off the record to the reporters.
- criminal record
- A criminal record can make it harder to find work.
- track record
- The firm has a strong track record in building schools.
Synonyms and how they differ
- register
- A register is an official list of names or events, while record is wider and covers any kept information.
- log
- A log is a record made regularly as events happen, such as a ship's log, so it is narrower than record.
- document
- A document is a single piece of written proof, while record may be a whole collection of data.
- archive
- An archive is a place or collection of old records, so it names the storage rather than the individual item.
Word family
Commonly confused: record or report?
record vs report
A report is an account made for others to read, while a record is information kept for later reference.
Practice
The athlete will try to ____ the world record this weekend.
Choose one answer.
Break a record means to do better than the previous best. Spoil, repair and carry do not collocate with record in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “record”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.