recommend
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To bestow commendation on.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rehkuhmehndSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹɛkəˈmɛnd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To bestow commendation on; to represent favourably; to suggest, endorse or encourage as an appropriate choice.
transitive
To advise, propose, counsel favorably
transitive
To make acceptable; to attract favor to.
noun
colloquial
A recommendation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To bestow commendation on; to represent favourably; to suggest, endorse or encourage as an appropriate choice.
Used this way, recommend is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use recommend
- “The travel agent recommended strongly that we not travel on Thanksgiving Day.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Something (as a course of action) that is recommended as advisable.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to bestow commendation on
Say it better
Looking for a more precise alternative? “recommend” can mean several things.
I recommend changing this.I'd suggest changing this, here's why.This would work better if we changed it.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Professional
Professional Alternatives to “I Think” for Work Emails and Meetings
Sound more confident and precise at work by replacing “I think” with phrasing suited to opinions, data, and recommendations.
Word Differences
Advice vs. Advise: What’s the Difference?
Advice is the noun, advise is the verb. Learn the pronunciation difference and how to never mix them up again.
Use it yourself
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.