recognize
recognize Lexical Profile
recognize Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To identify someone or something from having encountered them before; to know again.
"She barely recognized her hometown after twenty years of rapid urban development."
To acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of something.
"Most scientists recognize that climate change poses a severe threat to global biodiversity."
To show official appreciation or gratitude for someone's achievement, service, or merit.
"The university held a banquet to recognize the faculty members who had published groundbreaking research."
To grant official political or diplomatic status to a newly formed state or government, or to call upon someone to speak in a formal assembly.
"The chairperson recognized the delegate from Sweden to address the committee."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled 'recognize' in American and Canadian English, and typically 'recognise' in British and Australian English. Because it describes a state of perception or mental awareness rather than a deliberate ongoing action, it is rarely used in continuous (progressive) tenses.
• Rhymes for recognize
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Old French 'reconoiss-', the stem of 'reconoistre', which derives from Latin 'recognoscere' ('to know again, recall to mind'), formed from 're-' ('again') and 'cognoscere' ('to know'). The final '-ize' ending was later adopted by analogy with verbs of Greek origin.