recount

1 of 3

verb (1)

re·​count ri-ˈkau̇nt 

recounted; recounting; recounts

transitive verb

: to relate in detail : narrate

recounter noun

recount

2 of 3

verb (2)

re·​count (ˌ)rē-ˈkau̇nt 

recounted; recounting; recounts

transitive verb

: to count again

recount

3 of 3

noun

re·​count ˈrē-ˌkau̇nt 

(ˌ)rē-ˈkau̇nt

: a second or fresh count

Synonyms

Verb (1)

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

Examples of recount in a Sentence

Verb (1)

a novel that recounted an American soldier's adventures among the samurai warriors of 19th-century Japan

Noun

The election was very close and the loser demanded a recount.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Season 2’s finale aired Sunday, ending Louis’ journey of recounting his human and vampire life to reporter Daniel Molloy, played by Eric Bogosian. —Precious Fondren, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024

During her 2023 civil court case in Utah, the Goop founder recounted the many family ski trips their late father made a point of taking her and Jake on as kids. —Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 30 June 2024

Reyes recounted to investigators how Sherri Papini asked him to brand her. —Emily Moffet, ABC News, 28 June 2024

Uncle Remus recounts the stories of Brer Rabbit and his compatriots to a young white child in Harris’ interpretation of Black middle-Georgian dialect. —Bethanee Bemis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French recunter, from re- + cunter to count, relate — more at count

Verb (2)

re- + count

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1764, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

recount

1 of 3 verb

re·​count ri-ˈkau̇nt 

: to tell about in detail : narrate

recount an adventure

recount

2 of 3 verb

re·​count (ˈ)rē-ˈkau̇nt 

: to count again

recount

3 of 3 noun

re·​count ˈrē-ˌkau̇nt 

(ˈ)rē-ˈkau̇nt

: a second or fresh count (as of election votes)

Etymology

Verb

Middle English recounten "to tell about," from early French recunter (same meaning), from re- "again" and cunter "relate, count"

Verb

from English re- (prefix) and count