recognition
noun
rec·og·ni·tion
ˌre-kig-ˈni-shən 
-kəg-
1
: the action of recognizing : the state of being recognized: such as
a
: acknowledgment
especially
: formal acknowledgment of the political existence of a government or nation
b
: knowledge or feeling that someone or something present has been encountered before
2
: special notice or attention
3
: the sensing and encoding of printed or written data by a machine
optical character recognition
magnetic ink character recognition
Examples of recognition in a Sentence
The procedure is gaining recognition as the latest advance in organ transplant surgery.
The Olympic Committee gave official recognition to the sport.
His smile was a recognition that things were not so bad.
Her paintings received recognition from her fellow artists.
All she wanted was some recognition for her work.
He finally received the recognition that he deserved.
They were awarded medals in recognition of their bravery.
Recent Examples on the Web
Then, before county certification, electronic images created by the scanners for each ballot will be uploaded to a server, where optical character recognition software will be used to tally the votes using the human-readable text.
—
ABC News, 14 June 2026
Lifelong presented Cox with its Pride in Action Award in recognition of her advocacy and impact on LGBTQ+ representation, during a gala raising funds for Lifelong and Seattle Pride.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 14 June 2026
Wider distribution is hoped for following this recognition.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Facial and vehicle recognition expected Law enforcement is also expected to rely heavily on facial and vehicle recognition tools to identify individuals known to cause trouble.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for recognition
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ABC News, 14 June 2026
Lifelong presented Cox with its Pride in Action Award in recognition of her advocacy and impact on LGBTQ+ representation, during a gala raising funds for Lifelong and Seattle Pride.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 14 June 2026
Wider distribution is hoped for following this recognition.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Facial and vehicle recognition expected Law enforcement is also expected to rely heavily on facial and vehicle recognition tools to identify individuals known to cause trouble.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for recognition
Cite this Entry
“Recognition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recognition. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recognition
noun
rec·og·ni·tion
ˌrek-ig-ˈnish-ən
ˌrek-əg-
1
: the act of recognizing
2
: acknowledgment of something done or given
got a medal in recognition of bravery
3
: formal acknowledgment of the political existence of a government or nation
4
: special attention or notice
Medical Definition
recognition
noun
rec·og·ni·tion
ˌrek-əg-ˈnish-ən
: the form of memory that consists in knowing or feeling that a present object has been met before
Legal Definition
recognition
noun
rec·og·ni·tion
ˌre-kəg-ˈni-shən
1
: the act, process, or fact of recognizing
2
: the state of being recognized
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