recite

verb

re·​cite ri-ˈsīt 

recited; reciting

transitive verb

1

: to repeat from memory or read aloud publicly

2

a

: to relate in full

recites dull anecdotes

b

: to give a recital of : detail

recited a catalog of offenses

3

: to repeat or answer questions about (a lesson)

intransitive verb

1

: to repeat or read aloud something memorized or prepared

2

: to reply to a teacher's question on a lesson

reciter noun

Synonyms

• chart
• chronicle
• describe
• narrate
• recount
• rehearse
• relate
• report
• tell

Examples of recite in a Sentence

He recited the poem with great feeling.

He began to recite from the Koran.

He can easily recite all the facts about any player on the team.

Recent Examples on the Web

McDermott skeptics recite factoids that suggest if a coach and a talented QB can’t get the job done within a few years, then that coach will never succeed and should be replaced. —Tim Graham, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025

Their names are recited daily, their individual stories shared. —Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jan. 2025

Video shows Trump reciting the oath of office, repeating after Chief Justice John Roberts in the presence of several family members, including his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and youngest son Barron Trump. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025

Voice-overs reciting passages about desire from iconic authors F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, and Gustave Flaubert are underscored by Angelo Badalamenti getting sumptuous on the synth. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to relate, state, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reciter, from Latin recitare to recite, from re- + citare to summon — more at cite

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

recite

verb

re·​cite ri-ˈsīt 

recited; reciting

1

: to repeat from memory or read aloud before an audience

recite a poem

2

: to tell all the details of

3

: to answer questions about a lesson

reciter noun