recite
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to recite a lesson or part of a lesson for a teacher.
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to recite or repeat something from memory.
verb
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to repeat (a poem, passage, etc) aloud from memory before an audience, teacher, etc
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(tr) to give a detailed account of
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(tr) to enumerate (examples, etc)
Related Words
See relate.
Other Word Forms
- prerecite verb (used with object)
- recitable adjective
- reciter noun
- unrecited adjective
- well-recited adjective
Etymology
Origin of recite
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English reciten, from Latin recitāre “to read aloud,” equivalent to re- + citāre “to summon”; re-, cite 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The rest of our new classmates sat down, and Elliot began to recite the schedule with perfect accuracy.
From Literature
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Magic then recited the speech she had practiced with all the dramatic flair that Duane had attempted earlier.
From Literature
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I set him down and recited my message.
From Literature
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On “Rules,” a danceable tune with a Western swing beat and a charming clarinet solo, she begins by reciting numbers and then launches into what the guidelines will be for her relationships.
At 7 Alfred could recite by heart Horace’s Odes—in Latin.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.