recount

1 of 3

verb (1)

re·​count ri-ˈkau̇nt How to pronounce recount (audio)
recounted; recounting; recounts

transitive verb

: to relate in detail : narrate
recounter noun

recount

2 of 3

verb (2)

re·​count (ˌ)rē-ˈkau̇nt How to pronounce recount (audio)
recounted; recounting; recounts

transitive verb

: to count again

recount

3 of 3

noun

re·​count ˈrē-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce recount (audio)
(ˌ)rē-ˈkau̇nt
: a second or fresh count

Examples of recount in a Sentence

Verb (1) a novel that recounted an American soldier's adventures among the samurai warriors of 19th-century Japan Noun The election was very close and the loser demanded a recount.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Recently, D’Souza sat in his company’s twenty-thousand-square-foot offices on Madison Avenue and recounted the birth of his idea. Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2025 Posting under the username u/BeKindToAllPlease on Reddit's r/travel subreddit, the tourist recounted how what seemed like a straightforward excursion quickly turned into an embarrassing misstep. Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
The final results, accepted by the Boston Election Commission on Monday, also led to Wu, Kraft and Cappucci picking up votes in the partial recount, which encompassed five of the city’s 22 wards. Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025 When speaking to Briony in episode 3, Jamie recounts being bad at sports and knowing his dad, who wouldn't even look at him from the stands, was ashamed of his poor performance. Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recount

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French recunter, from re- + cunter to count, relate — more at count

Verb (2)

re- + count

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1764, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recount was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Recount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recount. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

recount

1 of 3 verb
re·​count ri-ˈkau̇nt How to pronounce recount (audio)
: to tell about in detail : narrate
recount an adventure

recount

2 of 3 verb
re·​count (ˈ)rē-ˈkau̇nt How to pronounce recount (audio)
: to count again

recount

3 of 3 noun
re·​count ˈrē-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce recount (audio)
(ˈ)rē-ˈkau̇nt
: a second or fresh count (as of election votes)
Etymology

Verb

Middle English recounten "to tell about," from early French recunter (same meaning), from re- "again" and cunter "relate, count"

Verb

from English re- (prefix) and count

More from Merriam-Webster on recount

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