recognize

CEFRB1

/ˈɹɛk.əɡ.naɪz/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To know someone or something because you have seen it before.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To acknowledge or consider (as being a certain thing or having a certain quality or property).

Examples

  • I wonder if she will recognize me after all those years.

  • Not having seen him before, I'll not be able to recognize him.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈɹekənɑɪz/
  • /ˈɹɛk.ən.aɪz/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To acknowledge the existence or legality of; to treat as valid or worthy of consideration.

  2. To match (something or someone which one currently perceives) to a memory of some previous encounter with the same person or thing.

  3. To realize or discover the nature of something; apprehend quality in.

More examples

In context

  • We recognize the necessity for a written agreement.

  • I recognized his face immediately, although his voice was different.

  • The US and a number of EU countries are expected to recognize Kosovo on Monday.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The teacher could blank each student's handwriting because it was so unique.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

Borrowed from Middle French reconoistre, from Old French reconoistre, from Latin recognoscere, first attested in the 16th century. Displaced native English acknow (“to recognize, perceive as”), compare German erkennen and Swedish erkänna. Latin had rare recognizare (“to try by jury”).