recanted; recanting; recants
: to make an open confession of error
Examples of recant in a Sentence
Church officials asked the minister to recant.
Witnesses threatened to recant their testimony when the court released their names to the paper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Galileo Galilei, who, in 1632, published a book supporting the Copernican theory that the Earth revolves around the sun, was accused of heresy, obliged to recant, and condemned to house arrest.
—
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Ray later tried to recant his confession, claiming he was set up by a man named Raoul.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 22 July 2025
Boles tried to recant his confession to no avail and was convicted at trial of second-degree murder and robbery, receiving a prison term of 20 years to life.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025
Soudani’s sister and son recanted their statements to the local police about Mr. Soudani’s whereabouts on the night of Helen Soudani’s murder in 1977.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for recant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Ray later tried to recant his confession, claiming he was set up by a man named Raoul.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 22 July 2025
Boles tried to recant his confession to no avail and was convicted at trial of second-degree murder and robbery, receiving a prison term of 20 years to life.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025
Soudani’s sister and son recanted their statements to the local police about Mr. Soudani’s whereabouts on the night of Helen Soudani’s murder in 1977.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for recant
Cite this Entry
“Recant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recant. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
recant
transitive verb
re·cant
ri-ˈkant 
: to renounce or withdraw (prior statements or testimony)
surprised the prosecution by recanting statements made earlier to the police
: to renounce or withdraw prior statements or testimony
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share