recollect 1 of 2

verb (1)

ˌre-kə-ˈlekt How to pronounce recollect (audio)
Definition of recollectnext
as in to remember
to bring back to mind I can't recollect if I turned the stove off or not before leaving the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

re-collect

2 of 2

verb (2)

ˌrē-kə-ˈlekt How to pronounce re-collect (audio)
1
as in to contain
to gain emotional or mental control of she had to calm down and re-collect herself after being told she had won the lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to retrieve
to get again in one's possession I struggled to re-collect the papers the wind had torn from my hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word recollect distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of recollect are recall, remember, remind, and reminisce. While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When can recall be used instead of recollect?

While in some cases nearly identical to recollect, recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

When is remember a more appropriate choice than recollect?

While the synonyms remember and recollect are close in meaning, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

Where would remind be a reasonable alternative to recollect?

The words remind and recollect can be used in similar contexts, but remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

In what contexts can reminisce take the place of recollect?

In some situations, the words reminisce and recollect are roughly equivalent. However, reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of recollect
Verb
But by writing this passage, in the act of recollecting and thinking over the ideas, Montaigne attempts a foray into the psychological tangle that polyvitality might well be dragging along behind it like a fishing net stuffed with by-catch. —Mandy-Suzanne Wong, Longreads, 5 Feb. 2026 Back at the Squawk, Joyce, Robin, and Will are recollecting themselves after the power surge and Will’s voyage into the Demogorgon. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2025
Verb
With photonic cooling, the light emitted via anti-Stokes fluorescence can be recovered by re-collecting the light into fiber-optic cables and then converting it to electricity through thermophotovoltaics, leading to upwards of 60 percent energy recovery. —IEEE Spectrum, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recollect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recollect
  1. remember
  2. contain
  3. retrieve
  4. recall
  5. compose
  6. recapture
  7. collect
  8. regain
Verb
  • Djena remembered her mother crying as her father drove her away.
    — Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • Manager Dave Roberts also remembers an organizational emphasis on flexibility.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Definition of remember
Verb
  • Hormones take the child’s body at puberty and conjure from it the adult form, directing the ovaries to mature their eggs or the testicles to produce sperm, each of these gametes containing the potential to create new life.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
  • Rare works by Joan Miró adorn the sixth-floor Presidential Suite, while the Royal Suite contains lithographs and modern artworks.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026
Definition of contain
Verb
  • Argentine investigators trudging through mud to retrieve the dead rats declined to speak to journalists about their work.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 May 2026
  • Customers are given a pickup window to retrieve their pints from the shop on either Friday or Saturday.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Definition of retrieve
Verb
  • The Dodgers recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes to take Snell’s place on the active roster.
    — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2026
  • The rooms Although the 66 rooms are in a building wing added on to the original brick structure that, from the outside, is very modern, the interior design of the rooms manages to recall the 20th century Tudor style while simultaneously encompassing contemporary touches.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
Definition of recall
Verb
  • That song was actually composed by someone from Street Mob from Ensenada.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
  • Such stars are the key quarry that JWST was designed for—stellar orbs composed of the pristine, primordial hydrogen and helium gas that was summoned into being by the big bang.
    — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
Definition of compose
Verb
  • Per the logline, in The Hawk Lonnie Hawkins, (Ferrell) 2004’s number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 13 May 2026
  • Still, the 49ers have been trying to recapture their youth, with an 11-man draft class last year — every draftee remains on the roster — and an eight-man class last month.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of recapture
Verb
  • One trust would collect money from the church, parishes, schools and insurance settlements to compensate survivors, while the second trust would manage litigation and insurance claims against insurers that did not settle.
    — Bridget Byrne, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2026
  • If retirement is on your mind, check out the stories—including one from a few weeks ago about my mom’s own struggle to collect Social Security benefits after my dad died.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Definition of collect
Verb
  • The only way to regain that dignity, according to Uyghurs like Choghtal, was to train to fight and perhaps have the opportunity one day to wrest control of Xinjiang away from the Communist Party.
    — Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
  • Turn into the skid - Turning into the skid can help the vehicle's tires realign to regain control.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 May 2026
Definition of regain

Browse Nearby Words

recoils
recollect
re-collect
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Cite this Entry

“Recollect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recollect. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on recollect

Nglish: Translation of recollect for Spanish Speakers

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