rec ‧ og ‧ nize S1 W1 BrE AmE ( also recognise British English ) /ˈrekəɡnaɪz, ˈrekən-/ verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ recognize ; noun : ↑ recognition ; adverb : ↑ recognizably ; adjective : ↑ recognizable ≠ ↑ unrecognizable ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: reconoistre , from Latin recognoscere , from cognoscere 'to know' ]
1 . [not in progressive] to know who someone is or what something is, because you have seen, heard, experienced, or learned about them in the past:
I didn’t recognize you in your uniform.
It was malaria, but Dr Lee hadn’t recognized the symptoms.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say that they know (that) it is someone or something rather than say they recognize them:
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I knew it was her by the hat she was wearing.
2 . to officially accept that an organization, government, document etc has legal or official authority:
British medical qualifications are recognized in Canada.
recognize something as something
The World Health Organization has recognized alcoholism as a disease since 1951.
3 . to accept or admit that something is true
recognize (that)
One must recognise that homesickness is natural.
recognize what/how/who etc
It is important to recognize how little we know about this disease.
4 . [usually in passive] if something is recognized by people, they realize that it is important or very good:
Alexander tried to get his work recognized by the medical profession.
be recognized as something
Lawrence’s novel was eventually recognized as a work of genius.
a recognized authority on Roman pottery
5 . to officially and publicly thank someone for something they have done, by giving them a special honour:
He was recognized for having saved many lives.
—recognizable /ˈrekəɡnaɪzəb ə l, -kən- ˌrekəɡˈnaɪ-/ adjective :
His face was instantly recognizable.
—recognizably adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ recognize to know who someone is or what something is, especially because you have seen or heard them before:
I hadn’t seen her for ten years, but I recognized her immediately.
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Do you recognize this song?
▪ identify to recognize someone or something and say who or what they are:
As they came closer, I was able to identify two of the group.
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It’s delicious but I can’t quite identify the taste.
▪ distinguish to recognize and understand the difference between two or more things or people:
By this age, kids can usually distinguish between right and wrong.
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It’s often difficult to distinguish identical twins from each other.
▪ make something/somebody out to be able to see or hear something or someone – used when it is very difficult to do this:
In the distance, I could just make out the outline of an island.
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He whispered something but I couldn’t make out what it was.
▪ discern /dɪˈsɜːn $ -ɜːrn/ formal to notice or understand something by looking carefully or thinking about it carefully:
I thought I discerned a faint gleam of hope in his eyes.
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A number of differences can be discerned in the data for the three countries.
▪ know to recognize someone or something. Know is often used in everyday English instead of recognize :
How do you know that it is real gold?
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I know him from somewhere.
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I can’t remember his name, but I know his face.
▪ can tell to be able to recognize someone or something:
I could tell that it was him by his voice.
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Can you tell that it’s not real leather?
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It’s difficult to be able to tell them apart (=to recognize that they are different) .