verb , noun
■ verb / rɪˈkɔːl; NAmE /
1.
( formal ) (not used in the progressive tenses) to remember sth
SYN recollect :
[ vn ]
She could not recall his name.
[ v ]
If I recall correctly, he lives in Luton.
[ v -ing ]
I can't recall meeting her before.
[ v that ]
He recalled that she always came home late on Wednesdays.
[ v wh- ]
Can you recall exactly what happened?
[also vn -ing , v speech ]
2.
[ vn ] (not used in the progressive tenses) to make sb think of sth
SYN evoke :
The poem recalls Eliot's 'The Waste Land'.
3.
[ vn ] to order sb to return :
Both countries recalled their ambassadors.
He was recalled to military duty.
They have both been recalled to the Welsh squad (= selected as members of the team after a time when they were not selected) .
4.
[ vn ] to ask for sth to be returned, often because there is sth wrong with it :
The company has recalled all the faulty hairdryers.
■ noun /rɪˈkɔːl; ˈriːkɔːl/
1.
[ U ] the ability to remember sth that you have learned or sth that has happened in the past :
She has amazing powers of recall.
to have instant recall (= to be able to remember sth immediately)
to have total recall (= to be able to remember all the details of sth)
2.
[ sing. ] an official order or request for sb/sth to return, or for sth to be given back :
Thomas's recall to the Welsh team
•
IDIOMS
- beyond recall
For more information see the Cultural Guide
••
WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (as a verb): from re- again + call , suggested by Latin revocare or French rappeler call back.