What does "recall" mean?
The action or fact of calling someone or something back.; Request of the return of a faulty product.
Recall
/ɹɪˈkɔːl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The action or fact of calling someone or something back.; Request of the return of a faulty product.
- Grammar: recall is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: recollection, abjure, abolish, abolishment.
- Useful contrasts: urgent issue, accreditation, amnesia.
- Usage evidence: What was the name of the hotel? I can't recall it.
How to use "recall"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "recall" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "recall" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "recall" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "recall" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "recall" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "recollection" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "recall", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The action or fact of calling someone or something back.; Request of the return of a faulty product. countable, uncountable
"recall campaign"
- 2 the act of removing an official by petition wordnet
- 3 The action or fact of calling someone or something back.; The right or procedure by which a public official may be removed from office before the end of their term of office, by a vote of the people to be taken on the filing of a petition signed by a required number or percentage of qualified voters. US, countable, uncountable
"recall petition"
- 4 the process of remembering (especially the process of recovering information by mental effort) wordnet
- 5 The action or fact of calling someone or something back.; The right or procedure by which the decision of a court may be directly reversed or annulled by popular vote, as was advocated, in 1912, in the platform of the Progressive Party for certain cases involving the police power of the state. US, countable, uncountable
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a bugle call that signals troops to return wordnet
- 7 Memory; the ability to remember. countable, uncountable
"One little-known incident in No. 49's life is worth recall."
- 8 a call to return wordnet
- 9 The fraction of (all) relevant material that is returned by a search. countable, uncountable
"precision and recall"
- 10 a request by the manufacturer of a defective product to return the product (as for replacement or repair) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To withdraw, retract (one's words etc.); to revoke (an order). transitive
- 2 recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection wordnet
- 3 To call back, bring back, or summon (someone) to a specific place, station, etc. transitive
"He was recalled to service after his retirement."
- 4 cause one's (or someone else's) thoughts or attention to return from a reverie or digression wordnet
- 5 To remove an elected official through a petition and direct vote. US, transitive
"That stop-start-stop has created a groundswell of anger toward Mr. Newsom, a Democrat in the third year of his first term, that is increasingly fueling a movement to recall him from office in one of the bluest of blue states."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 summon to return wordnet
- 7 To bring back (someone) to or from a particular mental or physical state, activity etc. transitive
- 8 go back to something earlier wordnet
- 9 To call back (a situation, event, etc.) to one's mind; to remember; to recollect. intransitive, transitive
"Nevertheless, there were many passengers on the recent special trains to whom the immaculate little 80-year-old "Terrier," No. 32636, formerly Fenchurch, and its two L.B.S.C.R. coaches, recalled nostalgic memories of the old days on the line, when the trains were always spick and span; and days when the Kemp Town branch train was packed to capacity."
- 10 cause to be returned wordnet
- 11 To hearken back to, evoke; to be reminiscent of. transitive
""The twinkling of the dancers' feet" comes to us in the Odyssey as a memory from that palace of Alkinoos, whose wonders recall to us so much that we have found in Crete."
- 12 make unavailable; bar from sale or distribution wordnet
- 13 To call again; to call another time. intransitive, transitive
- 14 bring to mind wordnet
- 15 To request or order the return of (a faulty product). transitive
"On Feb. 26, the FDA posted a voluntary recall from Brassica Pharma, which is recalling several eye ointments with expiration dates ranging from February 2024 to September 2025."
Antonyms
Example
"What was the name of the hotel? I can't recall it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "recall"?
Common synonyms include: recollection, abjure, abolish, abolishment, abolition, abrogate.
How do you use "recall" in a sentence?
What was the name of the hotel? I can't recall it.
How do you pronounce "recall"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈkɔːl/.
Etymology
From re- + call, probably modelled on Latin revocāre, French rappeler, English withcall.