RECALL Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'recall' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of recall are recollect , remember , remind , and reminisce . While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech. // can't recall the words of the song

Q: In what contexts can 'recollect' take the place of 'recall'?

The words recollect and recall are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered. // as near as I can recollect

Q: When can 'remember' be used instead of 'recall'?

The meanings of remember and recall largely overlap; however, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled. // remembers that day as though it were yesterday

Q: When is it sensible to use 'remind' instead of 'recall'?

Although the words remind and recall have much in common, remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity. // that reminds me of a story

Q: When could 'reminisce' be used to replace 'recall'?

While in some cases nearly identical to recall , reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone. // old college friends like to reminisce

recall 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈkȯl

Definition of recall

as in to remember

to bring back to mind I don't recall meeting you before

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to cancel

to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) I'll recall my purchase order if the company refuses to guarantee that it'll arrive before Christmas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

recall

2 of 2

noun

ri-ˈkȯl

as in recollection

a particular act or instance of recalling or the thing remembered his recall of the events of that turbulent time is significantly different from the accounts of other eyewitnesses

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in cancellation

the act of putting an end to something planned or previously agreed to we can't get a refund on the plane tickets, so the trip is beyond recall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word recall distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of recall are recollect, remember, remind, and reminisce. While all these words mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind," recall suggests an effort to bring back to mind and often to re-create in speech.

can't recall the words of the song

In what contexts can recollect take the place of recall?

The words recollect and recall are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can recollect

When can remember be used instead of recall?

The meanings of remember and recall largely overlap; however, remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

When is it sensible to use remind instead of recall?

Although the words remind and recall have much in common, remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

When could reminisce be used to replace recall?

While in some cases nearly identical to recall, 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 recall

Verb

At Luftgekühlt, Brundage recalled seeing a family arrive in an older Porsche with two young children. — Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Valentino would create the draping himself by hand, one pleat at a time, Giammetti recalled. — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Noun

Only one lot of the product is impacted by the recall, Pacific Health Sciences said in its announcement. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 The recall affects 4-ounce bottles packaged inside boxes with oral syringes. — Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for recall

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recall

Verb

And just remember that question for ⁠a couple of days from now, okay?

— Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Just remember that apps bypassing the VPN will expose your regular public IP address.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of remember

Verb

Classes, activities and athletic events across Bend-La Pine Schools are canceled tomorrow, the district announced.

— Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Ossoff last year also pressed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin for canceling public health and environmental grants.

— Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cancel

Noun

Airport attacks in the capital city of Riyadh led to multiple fatalities, flight cancellations and property damage, while facilities belonging to oil giant Saudi Aramco were targeted last week.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
High tides over the summer resulted in train cancellations and emergency repairs to the rail line.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of cancellation

Verb

Many hotels have abandoned single-use amenities, and the JW Marriott has followed that move by installing refillable shampoo and other containers.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Fallen trees blocked forest roads, snow forced them to abandon some attempts and return later, and on one climb, a navigation error sent them up the wrong side of the peak.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandon

Noun

In the brain, for example, elevated stress hormones can impair learning and memory by flooding the hippocampus with excitatory chemical signals.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Global smartphone shipments fell 20% in the third quarter of 2026, the weakest third quarter since 2012, according to Counterpoint Research, as rising memory-chip costs pushed up phone prices.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of memory

Noun

Voters, though, decisively defeated a repeal measure in 1942.

— Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 15 Oct. 2026
Several Florida residents traveled to the meeting to voice their support for Ladapo and the vaccine repeal, thanking him for standing up for parents’ rights and even asking him for a selfie.

— Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of repeal

Verb

This week, however, international timekeepers voted to scrap them and introduce the leap hour, the first of which might not happen for thousands of years.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Gartner expects more than 40% of agentic AI projects, which are projects built on AI that acts on its own rather than waiting for instructions, to be scrapped by the end of 2027, citing escalating costs and unclear business value among the reasons.

— Ciaran Cosgrave, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of scrap

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Style

“Recall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recall. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of recall

verb

noun

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Synonyms of recall

verb

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to recall

'Recollect' vs. 'Remember' vs. 'Recall'

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on recall

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vocation

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

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Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

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Games & Quizzes