recognise
Formsrecognises, recognising, recognised
US spellingrecognize · also used in the UK
- 1To identify someone or something you see, hear or meet now as one you have known or come across before.
Would you recognise the man if you saw him again?
She recognised the tune within the first few notes.
UsageYou recognise someone by their voice or walk, or from a photo or a past meeting.
Similaridentify, know, remember
Note
Both spellings are British, and neither is a mistake. British newspapers and the BBC mostly write recognise; Oxford University Press and journals such as Nature keep recognize, which is no Americanism.
- 2To accept that something is the case, or to regard someone or something as being of a certain kind or quality.
Her early novels are now widely recognised as classics.
We recognise that the changes will be difficult for some staff.
UsageOften passive, be widely recognised as something; recognise that + clause admits a point, often an awkward one.
Similaracknowledge, accept, admit, concede
Oppositedeny
- 3To accept that something exists or is lawful, or to treat it as valid and deserving attention.
Several countries refused to recognise the new government.
After a long dispute, the company recognised the union and began pay talks.
Similaracknowledge
Note
Two formal settings make it a term of art. One state recognises another state or its government, as countries did Kosovo; an employer recognises a trade union, agreeing to negotiate with it, above all over pay. In both, recognition is a decision rather than a perception, so it can be withheld, delayed or withdrawn.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- States can recognise other states or their governments. en.wikipedia.org
- Countries recognised Kosovo. gov.uk
- An employer's recognition of a trade union involves agreeing to negotiate, particularly over pay. gov.uk
- State recognition can be withdrawn. commonslibrary.parliament.uk
- Union recognition need not be granted immediately: an employer can initially refuse recognition while the union pursues a formal decision. gov.uk
- Trade union recognition can be ended, subject to the applicable procedures. gov.uk
- 4To perceive what something really is, or to see the qualities it has.
Few people recognised the danger until the river had already burst its banks.
A good coach can recognise real talent in a player of eight or nine.
Similarrealise, see, spot, appreciate, perceive
Note
No earlier meeting is needed here, which is what separates it from knowing someone again: a person can recognise danger or talent on first sight, by its qualities. With from it comes to mean telling apart, as when a plant recognises self from nonself, its own pollen from another's.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Plants can distinguish self from non-self pollen through biological recognition mechanisms. news.cornell.edu
- 5To honour someone or their work formally, for example with an award or official praise.
The nurse was recognised for her bravery with a medal from the hospital trust.
The awards recognise teachers who go far beyond what their job demands.
UsageOften passive, with for naming the deed: recognised for her bravery. The noun gives in recognition of.
Less common meanings
- 6To look over or examine something a second time.
Note
Going over a text a second time, a use of Tudor English: The Institution of a Christian Man is humbly submitted to the king to be recognised, overseen and corrected. A modern reader is tempted to hear accepting as valid there, but the request is for checking and amendment, not approval. The sense is obsolete.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The passage belongs to Tudor English: the book appeared in 1537. jamesclarke.co
- The Institution of a Christian Man is humbly submitted to the king for recognition, oversight and correction. api.pageplace.de
- Recognise here means reviewing or examining again; the passage expressly envisages amendment. en.wiktionary.org
- 7To reconnoitre: to explore or inspect an area, as scouts do, to gain information.
before the siege was layd to the Towne, of minde to recognize, he fell unawares amongst an Ambushcade
1637, Robert Monro, MonroNote
A soldier's use, now obsolete: Robert Monro's Monro, His Expedition (1637) tells of a man who, minded to recognise before the siege was laid, fell unawares into an ambush. The job passed to reconnoitre, a borrowing of the same French verb, so the two words are close relatives.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Robert Monro wrote Monro, His Expedition, first published in 1637. st-andrews.ac.uk
- The book was first published in 1637. st-andrews.ac.uk
- Monro describes someone intending to reconnoitre before a siege who unexpectedly encounters an ambush. en.wiktionary.org
- Reconnoitre performs the scouting function described in the obsolete sense of recognise. en.wiktionary.org
- Reconnoitre comes from French reconnoître, sharing its French ancestry with recognise. en.wiktionary.org
- Recognise was borrowed from the earlier French form reconoistre. en.wiktionary.org
- 8To be able to bind to a particular antigen, as an antibody does.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of recognise apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
English had the word by the late 14th century, when it was first used in a legal sense. It was taken from Middle French reconoistre, a verb already found in Old French, which goes back to Latin recognoscere. It pushed out the native English verb acknow (“to recognise, perceive as”). Latin also had a rare verb, recognizare, meaning “to try by jury”.