recognize

[ rek-uhg-nahyz ]

/ ˈrɛk əgˌnaɪz /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR recognize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), rec·og·nized, rec·og·niz·ing.

to identify as something or someone previously seen, known, etc.: He had changed so much that one could scarcely recognize him.

to identify from knowledge of appearance or characteristics: I recognized him from the description. They recognized him as a fraud.

to perceive as existing or true; realize: to be the first to recognize a fact.

to acknowledge as the person entitled to speak at a particular time: The Speaker recognized the congressman from Maine.

to acknowledge formally as entitled to treatment as a political unit: The United States promptly recognized Israel.

to acknowledge or accept formally a specified factual or legal situation: to recognize a successful revolutionary regime as the de facto government of the country.

to acknowledge or treat as valid: to recognize a claim.

to acknowledge acquaintance with, as by a greeting, handshake, etc.

to show appreciation of (achievement, service, merit, etc.), as by some reward, public honor, or the like.

Law. to acknowledge (an illegitimate child) as one's own.

Biochemistry, Immunology. to bind with, cleave, or otherwise react to (another substance) as a result of fitting its molecular shape or a portion of its shape.

Also especially British, rec·og·nise.

Origin of recognize

1425–75; recogn(ition) + -ize; replacing late Middle English racunnysen, recognisen < Old French reconuiss-, stem of reconuistre < Latin recognōscere, equivalent to re- re- + cognōscere to know¹; see cognition

SYNONYMS FOR recognize

3 acknowledge, appreciate, understand, grant, concede.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR recognize ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM recognize

rec·og·niz·a·ble

[rek-uhg-nahy-zuh-buhl, rek-uhg-nahy-] /ˈrɛk əgˌnaɪ zə bəl, ˌrɛk əgˈnaɪ-/, adjective rec·og·niz·a·bil·i·ty, noun rec·og·niz·a·bly, adverb rec·og·niz·er, noun

non·rec·og·nized, adjective pre·rec·og·nize, verb (used with object), pre·rec·og·nized, pre·rec·og·niz·ing. qua·si-rec·og·nized, adjective un·rec·og·niz·a·ble, adjective un·rec·og·niz·a·bly, adverb un·rec·og·nized, adjective un·rec·og·niz·ing, adjective well-rec·og·nized, adjective

Words nearby recognize

reclusion, reco-reco, recognition, recognition factor, recognizance, recognize, recognizee, recognizor, recoil, recoil escapement, recoil-operated

Example sentences from the Web for recognizing

First, though, he has to be shocked into recognizing the barren waste of his spiritual life – by spirits.

How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas |Clive Irving |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
We need to “fix our schools,” even while recognizing that our efforts thus far are only works-in-progress.

Your Local School Doesn’t Have to Suck |Michael S. Roth |December 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Recognizing this is the first step away from a Hunger Games economy.

The Hunger Games Economy |Jedediah Purdy |November 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Naming a movement or giving it a single symbol is a natural way of recognizing this emerging power.

You Say You Want to Name a Revolution? |Jack DuVall |October 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

And it has become a system far more driven by the demands of branding and marketing than by recognizing clearly discrete locality.

Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards |Clive Irving |August 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
On recognizing Marianne, however, a smile overspread his features, and he went to meet her with a pleasant greeting.

Louisa Of Prussia and Her Times |Louise Muhlbach
It is simply the mind's power of recognizing a certain class of truths and relations.

Mental Philosophy: Including the Intellect, Sensibilities, and Will |Joseph Haven
"Do not make game of an unhappy priest sent here by mistake," Jacques Collin replied mechanically, recognizing his three comrades.

Scenes from a Courtesan's Life |Honore de Balzac
This they use in calling to each other, and it is by recognizing the tone of the voice that they know who is calling.

Johnny Bear |E. T. Seton
He guessed that the babe was Mary's babe, though he was quite incapable of recognizing it.

The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories |Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for recognizing

recognize

recognise

/ (ˈrɛkəɡˌnaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to perceive (a person, creature, or thing) to be the same as or belong to the same class as something previously seen or known; know again

to accept or be aware of (a fact, duty, problem, etc) to recognize necessity

to give formal acknowledgment of the status or legality of (a government, an accredited representative, etc)

mainly US and Canadian to grant (a person) the right to speak in a deliberative body, debate, etc

to give a token of thanks for (a service rendered, etc)

to make formal acknowledgment of (a claim, etc)

to show approval or appreciation of (something good or pleasing)

to acknowledge or greet (a person), as when meeting by chance

(intr) mainly US to enter into a recognizance

Derived forms of recognize

recognizable or recognisable, adjective recognizability or recognisability, noun recognizably or recognisably, adverb recognizer or recogniser, noun

Word Origin for recognize

C15: from Latin recognoscere to know again, from re- + cognoscere to know, ascertain

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

recognize

verb (used with object), rec·og·nized, rec·og·niz·ing.

Origin of recognize

SYNONYMS FOR recognize

OTHER WORDS FROM recognize

Words nearby recognize

Example sentences from the Web for recognizing

British Dictionary definitions for recognizing

recognise

verb (tr)

Derived forms of recognize

Word Origin for recognize

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

recognize

verb (used with object), rec·og·nized, rec·og·niz·ing.

Origin of recognize

SYNONYMS FOR recognize

OTHER WORDS FROM recognize

Words nearby recognize

Words related to recognizing

Example sentences from the Web for recognizing

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for recognizing

recognise

verb (tr)

Derived forms of recognize

Word Origin for recognize

British Dictionary definitions for recognizing