recalled; recalling; recalls
2
a
: to call back
was recalled to active duty
a pitcher recalled from the minors
b
: to bring back to mind
recalled seeing her somewhere before
c
: to remind one of : resemble
a playwright who recalls the Elizabethan dramatists
1
: a call to return
a recall of workers after a layoff
2
: the right or procedure by which an official may be removed by vote of the people
3
: remembrance of what has been learned or experienced
4
: the act of revoking
5
: a public call by a manufacturer for the return of a product that may be defective or contaminated
Synonyms
Examples of recall in a Sentence
Verb
She wanted to send him a letter but couldn't recall his address.
I don't recall what time they said they would be here.
It is important to recall that not very long ago cell phones did not exist.
From what I recall, I think the library is two blocks down on the left.
“The first time we met,” he recalled, “we got into a big argument.”
As you may recall, we had agreed that decisions would require prior approval.
“What's his address?” “I don't recall.”
The ambassador was recalled from abroad.
The factory is recalling all the cars because of a problem with the brakes.
Officials recalled two tons of contaminated meat today.
Noun
They issued a recall of workers after the layoff.
The factory has issued a recall of all cars with the defective brakes.
She did mental exercises meant to improve her recall.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Werner, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Soon, the three men were spending free time together and worshiping together as well, Al-Halabi recalls.
—Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The school described her as a safety risk, Gomes recalled.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In an interview with Variety, Dunst recalled that Williams, who died in 2014 at age 63, got her her first computer at age 13 as a wrap gift when production ended.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Japanese baseball fans can recall at least two gambling episodes that resulted in players being banned from the game for life.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
But the Pentagon was abuzz with plans to cut military medical costs, especially on families and retirees, by outsourcing them to local private health care — much to the chagrin of local providers, Helen Perry recalls.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
Fahs recalls overlooking the hospital grounds and seeing tents of families who left with the clothes on their backs and, if lucky, a suitcase with extra items.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
In the past, tattoo inks have very rarely, and only voluntarily, been recalled because of bacterial contamination.
—John Swierk, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024
Anna Halkidis, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
The recall announced on Thursday includes steamers already repaired as part of a prior recall in November 2022, according to the notice posted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
In 2022, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced a voluntary recall on a number of dry shampoo products from Unilever due to possible benzene contamination.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to clarify which legislative maps should be used for any potential recall or special elections held before November, denying a request from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
And an Oklahoma city council member with white nationalist ties is ousted in a recall vote.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Safety advocates complain that repairs are taking longer than recall fixes normally do.
—Tom Krisher, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
The hard-right chairman of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, who questioned whether voting machines fostered election fraud, has narrowly survived a recall.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Arizona is one of 15 states that have over 80,000 such recalls.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
But the implants have a harrowing history: Several disk implants were recalled or discontinued in the '90s due to dangerous failures.
—Anna Werner, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Soon, the three men were spending free time together and worshiping together as well, Al-Halabi recalls.
—Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The school described her as a safety risk, Gomes recalled.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
In an interview with Variety, Dunst recalled that Williams, who died in 2014 at age 63, got her her first computer at age 13 as a wrap gift when production ended.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Japanese baseball fans can recall at least two gambling episodes that resulted in players being banned from the game for life.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
But the Pentagon was abuzz with plans to cut military medical costs, especially on families and retirees, by outsourcing them to local private health care — much to the chagrin of local providers, Helen Perry recalls.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024
Fahs recalls overlooking the hospital grounds and seeing tents of families who left with the clothes on their backs and, if lucky, a suitcase with extra items.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
In the past, tattoo inks have very rarely, and only voluntarily, been recalled because of bacterial contamination.
—John Swierk, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024
Noun
Procter & Gamble has announced a major recall in the United States because of products that can cause serious injury to children.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
The recall announced on Thursday includes steamers already repaired as part of a prior recall in November 2022, according to the notice posted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
In 2022, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced a voluntary recall on a number of dry shampoo products from Unilever due to possible benzene contamination.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to clarify which legislative maps should be used for any potential recall or special elections held before November, denying a request from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
And an Oklahoma city council member with white nationalist ties is ousted in a recall vote.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Safety advocates complain that repairs are taking longer than recall fixes normally do.
—Tom Krisher, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
The hard-right chairman of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, who questioned whether voting machines fostered election fraud, has narrowly survived a recall.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Arizona is one of 15 states that have over 80,000 such recalls.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing recall
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Dictionary lookups from the worlds of railroads and automobiles, law, and from newspaper style guides
The Words of the Week - 09/17/2021
The words that defined the week ending September 17th, 2021
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Some of the words that defined the week ending March 19, 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Recall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recall. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
recall
1 of 2 verb
re·call
ri-ˈkȯl 
1
: cancel sense 2a, revoke
recalled the order
2
a
: to call back
soldiers recalled to active duty
recalled cars with brake problems
b
: to bring back to mind : remember
recalled seeing her somewhere before
1
: a command to return
2
: a way in which a public official may be removed from office by vote of the people
3
: remembrance of what has been learned or experienced
4
: the act of canceling (as an order)
5
: a call by a manufacturer for the return of a product that may be defective or contaminated
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
recall
noun
re·call
ri-ˈkȧl, ˈrē-ˌkȯl
1
: a call to return
a recall of workers
2
: the right or procedure by which an official may be removed by vote of the people
a recall petition
3
: the act of revoking
4
: a public call by a manufacturer for the return of a defective or especially unsafe product
More from Merriam-Webster on recall
Nglish: Translation of recall for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of recall for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about recall
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