recollect

1 of 2

verb (1)

rec·​ol·​lect ˌre-kə-ˈlekt 

recollected; recollecting; recollects

transitive verb

1

: to bring back to the level of conscious awareness : remember

trying to recollect the name

2

: to remind (oneself) of something temporarily forgotten

intransitive verb

: to call something to mind

re-collect

2 of 2

verb (2)

re-col·​lect ˌrē-kə-ˈlekt 

re-collected; re-collecting; re-collects

transitive verb

: to collect again

especially : rally, recover

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• flash back (to)
• hark back (to)
• harken back (to)
• hearken back (to)
• mind [chiefly dialect]
• recall
• remember
• reminisce (about)
• reproduce
• think (of)

Verb (2)

• calm
• collect
• compose
• contain
• control
• settle

Choose the Right Synonym for recollect

remember, recollect, recall, remind, reminisce mean to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind.

remember implies a keeping in memory that may be effortless or unwilled.

remembers that day as though it were yesterday

recollect implies a bringing back to mind what is lost or scattered.

as near as I can 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

remind suggests a jogging of one's memory by an association or similarity.

that reminds me of a story

reminisce implies a casual often nostalgic recalling of experiences long past and gone.

old college friends like to reminisce

Examples of recollect in a Sentence

Verb (1)

I've been trying to recollect what happened.

I don't recollect telling him anything, but maybe I did.

She couldn't recollect who had mentioned his name in the first place.

From what I recollect, they said four of them were coming.

Verb (2)

she had to calm down and re-collect herself after being told she had won the lottery

I struggled to re-collect the papers the wind had torn from my hands

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

This is an error in episodic memory, which is responsible for our ability to consciously recollect personal experiences. —Leo Gugerty, The Conversation, 10 June 2024

My visit — only to a concentration camp — 60 years ago still results in a sickening feeling when recollected. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 May 2024

But the white-haired GM, gruff, animated and a surprisingly funny and theatrical storyteller, winced when recollecting the near-misses. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024

Observing and acquiring broad knowledge is essential for education, recollecting facts and developing valuable competencies. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Medieval Latin recollectus, past participle of recolligere, from Latin, to gather again

Verb (2)

partly from Latin recollectus, past participle of recolligere, from re- + colligere to collect; partly from re- + collect

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1559, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1604, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

recollect

1 of 2 verb

rec·​ol·​lect ˌrek-ə-ˈlekt 

1

: to recall to mind : remember

2

: to remind oneself of something temporarily forgotten

re-collect

2 of 2 verb

re-col·​lect

ˌrē-kə-ˈlekt

: to collect again

especially : rally entry 1 sense 2, recover