# recall

Pronunciation: say "ri-KAWL" US /ɹɪˈkɔl/, UK /ɹɪˈkɔːl/

## Verb

1. To call a past situation, event, or fact back to mind; to remember or recollect.
   - Simple: To bring a past event or fact back into your mind.
   - _She could still recall the exact words of the speech years later._
   - _He recalled the smell of the bakery from his childhood._
3. To call in a defective product, asking or requiring that it be sent back.
   - Simple: To ask people to bring back a product because it is not safe or has a fault.
   - _Regulators ordered the firm to recall the contaminated batch._
   - _The manufacturer recalled the heaters when reports of overheating emerged._
6. To summon someone back to a particular place, post, or station, or to bring them back there.
   - Simple: To order someone to come back to a place or job.
   - _The ministry recalled its ambassador after the dispute._
   - _Coaches can recall a player to the senior squad at any time._
7. To retract a statement or other words, or to revoke an order that has been given.
   - Simple: To take back words you said, or cancel an order you gave.
   - _The author asked the publisher to recall the offending statement._
   - _Parliament recalled the decree within days of issuing it._
8. To remove an elected official from office through a petition and a direct popular vote. *(US)*
   - Simple: To remove an elected leader from their job through a public vote.
   - _Activists organized a campaign to recall the school board members._
   - _Residents recalled the council member halfway through his term._
10. To bring someone back to or from a particular mental or physical state, activity, or condition.
   - Simple: To bring someone back to a certain state, feeling, or activity.
   - _The cold water recalled him to full alertness._
   - _A familiar tune can recall a patient to memories thought lost._
11. To evoke something or be reminiscent of it; to hearken back to it.
   - Simple: To make you think of something else because it is similar.
   - _Her melodies recall the folk songs of an earlier century._
   - _The novel's tone recalls the great Russian writers._
12. To call again; to summon or telephone at another time.
   - Simple: To call someone again, or to phone at another time.
   - _The office promised to recall each applicant after lunch._
   - _She didn't answer, so he planned to recall later that evening._

## Noun

2. Memory; the capacity to remember. (pronounced: say "REE-kawl" US /ˈɹiˌkɔl/, UK /ˈɹiːkɔːl/)
   - Simple: The ability to remember things.
   - _The witness's recall of that night was surprisingly detailed._
   - _Stress can weaken recall, making familiar names suddenly hard to retrieve._
4. The act or fact of calling a person or thing back.
   - Simple: Calling a person or thing back, or telling them to return.
   - _The government announced the immediate recall of its ambassador after the embassy was attacked._
   - _Under the union contract, recalls of laid-off workers follow strict seniority._
5. An official request for the return of a faulty product. (pronounced: say "REE-kawl" US /ˈɹiˌkɔl/, UK /ˈɹiːkɔːl/)
   - Simple: An order for people to return a product that is faulty or unsafe.
   - _The recall covered every unit shipped before March._
   - _News of the recall spread quickly among worried owners._
9. The right or procedure allowing a public official to be removed from office before the end of a term by a popular vote, triggered by a petition signed by a required number of qualified voters. *(US)* (pronounced: say "REE-kawl" US /ˈɹiˌkɔl/, UK /ˈɹiːkɔːl/)
   - Simple: A way for voters to remove a public official from office before their term ends.
   - _The threat of recall kept the council responsive to its voters._
   - _Recall is available in fewer than half of the states._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The fraction of all relevant material that a search returns.
- (noun) The right or procedure by which a court's decision may be directly reversed or annulled by a popular vote.

## Origin

Formed from re- and call, probably modelled on Latin revocāre and French rappeler, and comparable to the English withcall.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/recall (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).