recognize
Valid in Scrabble
- Scrabble points
- 21
- Words With Friends
- 24
- Letters
- 9
See all 5 pronunciations Show less
Definition of recognize
9 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included
verb
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, transitive)To match (something or someone which one currently perceives) to a memory of some previous encounter with the same person or thing.
“I recognized his face immediately, although his voice was different.”
“He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days, and he felt a genuine thrill of pleasure when he recognized the red bandana turban of old Aunt Lyddy, the ancient negro woman who had sold him gingerbread and fried fish, and told him weird tales of witchcraft and conjuration, in the old days when, as an idle boy, he had loafed about the market-house.”
“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.”
See all 9 definitions Show less
verb
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, transitive)To match (something or someone which one currently perceives) to a memory of some previous encounter with the same person or thing.
“I recognized his face immediately, although his voice was different.”
“He looked in vain into the stalls for the butcher who had sold fresh meat twice a week, on market days, and he felt a genuine thrill of pleasure when he recognized the red bandana turban of old Aunt Lyddy, the ancient negro woman who had sold him gingerbread and fried fish, and told him weird tales of witchcraft and conjuration, in the old days when, as an idle boy, he had loafed about the market-house.”
“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.”
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, transitive)To acknowledge the existence or legality of; to treat as valid or worthy of consideration.
“The US and a number of EU countries are expected to recognize Kosovo on Monday.”
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, transitive)To acknowledge or consider (as being a certain thing or having a certain quality or property).
“Slavery is widely recognized as immoral.”
“I recognize that my behaviour has been unacceptable.”
““The United States government maintains relationships with unofficial partners around the world, and Taiwan is no exception. Our two democracies share common values of individual freedom, the rule of law, and a respect for human dignity. Today’s statement recognizes that the US-Taiwan relationship need not, and should not, be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy,” Pompeo wrote.”
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, transitive)To realize or discover the nature of something; apprehend quality in.
“In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.”
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, transitive)To show formal appreciation of, as with an award, commendation etc.
“His services were recognized in a testimonial.”
“The soldier was recognized in dispatches.”
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, obsolete)To review; to examine again.
“We do moste humbly submytte it [this treatise] to[…]your maiestie, to be recognised, ouersene, and corrected.”
-
(British, English, Oxford, US, obsolete)To reconnoiter.
“before the siege was layd to the Towne, of minde to recognize, he fell unawares amongst an Ambushcade”
- (British, English, Oxford, US)To have the property to bind to specific antigens.
- (British, English, North-American, Oxford, UK, US)to cognize again
Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French reconoistre, from Old French reconoistre, from Latin recognoscere, first attested in the 16th century. Displaced native English acknow (“to recognize, perceive as”), compare German erkennen and Swedish erkänna. Latin had rare recognizare (“to try by jury”).
Words you can make from recognize
152 playable · top: COGNIZER (20 pts)
Best play cognizer 20 points8-letter words
1 word7-letter words
6 words6-letter words
17 words5-letter words
27 words- COZEN 16 pts
- COZIE 16 pts
- CROZE 16 pts
- ZINCO 16 pts
- ZONER 14 pts
- COIGN 8 pts
- CONGE 8 pts
- CORGI 8 pts
- GENIC 8 pts
- INCOG 8 pts
- ORGIC 8 pts
- CRONE 7 pts
- NICER 7 pts
- NIECE 7 pts
- ORCIN 7 pts
- RECON 7 pts
- GENIE 6 pts
- GENRE 6 pts
- GENRO 6 pts
- GIRON 6 pts
- GONER 6 pts
- GREEN 6 pts
- GROIN 6 pts
- REGIE 6 pts
- REIGN 6 pts
- RENIG 6 pts
- IRONE 5 pts
4-letter words
46 words- ZINC 15 pts
- ZOIC 15 pts
- GEEZ 14 pts
- GRIZ 14 pts
- ZING 14 pts
- ZEIN 13 pts
- ZERO 13 pts
- ZINE 13 pts
- ZONE 13 pts
- ZORI 13 pts
- CERE 6 pts
- CERO 6 pts
- CINE 6 pts
- CION 6 pts
- CIRE 6 pts
- COIN 6 pts
- COIR 6 pts
- CONE 6 pts
- CONI 6 pts
- CORE 6 pts
- CORN 6 pts
- ICON 6 pts
- NICE 6 pts
- ONCE 6 pts
- RICE 6 pts
- EGER 5 pts
- ERGO 5 pts
- GENE 5 pts
- GIEN 5 pts
- GIRN 5 pts
- GIRO 5 pts
- GOER 5 pts
- GONE 5 pts
- GORE 5 pts
- GREE 5 pts
- GRIN 5 pts
- OGEE 5 pts
- OGRE 5 pts
- RING 5 pts
- ERNE 4 pts
- INRO 4 pts
- IRON 4 pts
- NOIR 4 pts
- NORI 4 pts
- REIN 4 pts
- RENO 4 pts
3-letter words
42 words- COZ 14 pts
- ZIG 13 pts
- REZ 12 pts
- ZEE 12 pts
- ZEN 12 pts
- ZIN 12 pts
- CIG 6 pts
- COG 6 pts
- CEE 5 pts
- CON 5 pts
- COR 5 pts
- ECO 5 pts
- ICE 5 pts
- ORC 5 pts
- REC 5 pts
- ROC 5 pts
- EGO 4 pts
- ENG 4 pts
- ERG 4 pts
- GEE 4 pts
- GEN 4 pts
- GIE 4 pts
- GIN 4 pts
- GOR 4 pts
- NEG 4 pts
- NOG 4 pts
- ORG 4 pts
- REG 4 pts
- RIG 4 pts
- EON 3 pts
- ERE 3 pts
- ERN 3 pts
- ION 3 pts
- IRE 3 pts
- NEE 3 pts
- NOR 3 pts
- ONE 3 pts
- ORE 3 pts
- REE 3 pts
- REI 3 pts
- RIN 3 pts
- ROE 3 pts
2-letter words
12 wordsHooks
3 extensions · 3 back
A single letter you can add to recognize to make another valid word.
Find your best play with recognize
See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes recognize, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.