recalling

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•call /v. rɪˈkɔl; n. rɪˈkɔl, ˈrikɔl for 7, 8. in Unabridged dictionary ˈrikɔl for 10, 11. in Unabridged dictionary/   v. 

1. to bring back from memory;
   remember: [no object]
   said she couldn't recall.
   [~ + object]
   I can recall every word of our conversation.
   [~ + that clause]
   I recalled that she was out visiting.
2. Government to call or order back to a place of origin:
   [~ + object] The car was recalled because of faulty brakes.

n. 

3. [countable] an act of recalling.
4. recollection;
   remembrance;
   ability to remember:
   [uncountable] has recall of every detail.
5. Government [uncountable] the removal or the right of removal of a public official from office by a vote of the people.
6. Business [countable] a summons by a manufacturer for the return of a product, as from a consumer, because of its having a known defect.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•call  (v. ri kôl′;n. ri kôl′, rē′kôl for 7–9, 12, 13;
rē′kôl for 10, 11), v.t. 

1. to bring back from memory;
   recollect;
   remember:
   Can you recall what she said?
2. Government to call back;
   summon to return:
   The army recalled many veterans.
3. to bring (one's thoughts, attention, etc.) back to matters previously considered:
   He recalled his mind from pleasant daydreams to the dull task at hand.
4. Government [Internat. Law.] to summon back and withdraw the office from (a diplomat).
5. to revoke or withdraw:
   to recall a promise.
6. to revive.

n. 

7. an act of recalling.
8. recollection;
   remembrance.
9. the act or possibility of revoking something.
10. Government the removal or the right of removal of a public official from office by a vote of the people taken upon petition of a specified number of the qualified electors.
11. Business Also called callback. a summons by a manufacturer or other agency for the return of goods or a product already shipped to market or sold to consumers but discovered to be defective, contaminated, unsafe, or the like.
12. a signal made by a vessel to recall one of its boats.
13. a signal displayed to direct a racing yacht to sail across the starting line again.

• re- + call 1575–85

re•call′a•ble, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. See remember. 
• 5. rescind, retract, recant, repeal; annul.
• 7. memory.
• 9. revocation, retraction, repeal, withdrawal, recantation; nullification.

Antonyms

• 1. forget.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

recall verb / rɪˈkɔːl/(transitive)

1. (may take a clause as object) to bring back to mind; recollect; remember
2. to order to return; call back permanently or temporarily
3. to revoke or take back
4. to cause (one's thoughts, attention, etc) to return from a reverie or digression

noun / ˈriːkɔːl/

1. the act of recalling or state of being recalled
2. revocation or cancellation
3. the ability to remember things; recollection
4. (esp formerly) a signal to call back troops, etc, usually a bugle call
5. the process by which elected officials may be deprived of office by members of their party
6. the process by which elected officials may be deprived of office by popular vote

reˈcallable adjective