remember

remember

re‧mem‧ber S1 W1 /rɪˈmembə $ -ər/ BrE AmE verb
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: remembrer, from Late Latin rememorari, from Latin memor; ⇨ ↑memory]
1. THE PAST [intransitive and transitive] to have a picture or idea in your mind of people, events, places etc from the past ⇨ forget:
Do you remember Rosa Davies?
I can’t remember her exact words.
remember (that)
I remember you two couldn’t stand each other at first!
remember (somebody) doing something
I remember meeting her at a party once.
I remember my father bringing home a huge Christmas tree.
I remember it well; I’d never seen my mother so angry.
She clearly remembers the excitement as they boarded the train.
I vaguely remember reading something about it in the paper.
They had three children, if I remember rightly.
They’ve lived here for as long as I can remember.
No one got drunk as far as I can remember.
2. INFORMATION/FACTS [intransitive and transitive] to bring information or facts that you know into your mind ⇨ forget:
You left your keys on the table, remember?
I can’t remember her phone number.
remember (that)
I suddenly remembered that I’d left the stove on.
remember what/how/why etc
I called the office, but I don’t remember who I spoke to.
3. TO DO/GET SOMETHING [intransitive and transitive] to not forget something that you must do, get, or bring:
I hope he remembers the wine.
remember to do something
Remember to take your P.E. clothes to school.
4. KEEP SOMETHING IN MIND [transitive] to keep a particular fact about a situation in your mind:
Remember, processed food is usually full of salt and sugar.
remember that
Remember that not everyone has as much money as you.
it should/must be remembered (that)
It should be remembered that a lot of work went into this event.
5. HONOUR THE DEAD [transitive] to think with respect about someone who has died, often in a ceremony:
On this day we remember the dead of two world wars.
6. be remembered for/as something to be famous for something important that you did in the past:
He is best remembered for his travel books.
Johnson wanted to be remembered as ‘the education president.’
7. GIVE SOMEBODY A PRESENT [transitive] to give someone a present on a particular occasion:
Lilian always remembers me at Christmas.
remember somebody in your will (=arrange for someone to have something of yours after you die)
8. remember me to somebody spoken used to ask someone to give a greeting from you to someone else
• • •
GRAMMAR
If you remember doing something, you have a picture in your mind of the time when you did it:
▪ I remember playing there when I was little.
If you remember to do something, you do not forget to do what you had intended:
▪ We must remember to close that window.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ remember well (=thoroughly and completely) I remember so well my first day there.
▪ remember clearly/vividly/distinctly (=well, with a lot of detail) I remember clearly how I used to feel as a child in church on Sundays.
▪ remember vaguely/dimly (=not well) He could vaguely remember his mother’s face.
▪ remember fondly (=in a way that shows you liked someone or something a lot) The restaurant is fondly remembered by many.
▪ remember rightly/correctly You were still at school, if I remember rightly.
▪ hardly/barely remember (=almost not at all) I can hardly remember him.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ remember to form an idea in your mind of people, events, places etc from the past: I remember Janine – she lived in that house on the corner. | I can’t remember how the film ends. | He remembered meeting her at a party once.
▪ recall to remember a particular fact, event, or situation, especially in order to tell someone about it: Can you recall where your husband was that night? | She recalled that he had seemed a strange, lonely man.
▪ recollect formal to remember an event or situation: Harry smiled as he recollected the scene. | She tried to recollect what had happened next in her dream.
▪ memorize to learn facts, a piece of writing or music etc, so that you can remember them later: He’s trying to memorize his speech. | Don’t write down your PIN number, memorize it.
▪ think back/look back to think about something that happened in the past: I thought back to when I was his age. | Looking back, I should have been more patient with her. | We need to stop looking back and start thinking about the future.
▪ reminisce /ˌreməˈnɪs, ˌremɪˈnɪs/ to talk about pleasant events, people, experiences etc from the past, because you want to remember them or enjoy talking about them: They were reminiscing about old times. | I used to spend hours listening to my grandfather reminisce.
▪ bear something in mind to remember something important when you are doing something, because it could affect what you do: Bear in mind that this is the first time he’s done this.
▪ something is on the tip of your tongue used to say that you know a word or a name but that you have difficulty remembering it at this exact moment: His name’s on the tip of my tongue. I’ll think of it in a minute.
▪ remind somebody of something to make you think of another person, thing, or time, because they are similar: It reminds me of the time when I first started teaching. | The taste reminded him of school dinners.