recite

R1E1C3I1T1E1
/ɹɪˈsaɪt//ˌɹiˈsaɪt/

verb

To repeat aloud (some passage, poem or other text previously memorized, or in front of one's eyes), often before an audience.

“Janice is able to recite pi to 100 decimals.”

Less commonScrabble 8

Meanings

recite1

verbrecite (third-person singular simple present recites, present participle reciting, simple past and past participle recited)

present singular third person recites · participle present reciting · participle past recited · past recited

  1. transitiveTo repeat aloud (some passage, poem or other text previously memorized, or in front of one's eyes), often before an audience.

    Janice is able to recite pi to 100 decimals.

    4 more examples

    "I feel the seat. I feel the seat against my arm. I feel my hands," recites Edmonds, her eyes still closed.

    2010 December 22, Allan Chernoff, “Overcoming the fear of flying”, in CNN

    It’s recited in schools across the US every day by students standing stiffly with their hands over their hearts.

    2019 February 19, Doug Criss, “Here’s why students don’t have to recite the Pledge of Allegiance”, in CNN

    Services during Yom Kippur are held continuously through the day and include readings from the Torah and the reciting of prayers expressing regret or asking for forgiveness.

    2019 October 8, Christina Maxouris and Doug Criss, “Everything you wanted to know about Yom Kippur”, in CNN

    Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first-ever youth poet laureate who gained national acclaim at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, will recite an original poem before Super Bowl LV, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Wednesday.

    2021 January 27, Wayne Sterling, “Youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman to recite poem before Super Bowl LV”, in CNN

    Synonyms: declaim, go through, spout

  2. transitiveTo list or enumerate something.

    Synonyms: tabulate

  3. intransitiveTo deliver a recitation.

recite2

verbrecite (third-person singular simple present recites, present participle reciting, simple past and past participle recited)

present singular third person recites · participle present reciting · participle past recited · past recited

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of re-cite (which is the preferred spelling, to avoid needless homography).

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo repeat aloud (some passage, poem or other text previously memorized, or in front of one's eyes), often before an audience.

verbTo list or enumerate something.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

verbrecite in elocution

Similar

verbrender verbally

Similar

verbnarrate or give a detailed account of

Broader

verbspecify individually

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

recite · verb

  1. Latinrecitō
  2. Old Frenchreciter
  3. Middle Englishreciten
  4. Englishrecite

From Middle English reciten, from Old French reciter, from Latin recitō.

Full word history & related roots →

recite · verb

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Old Frenchre-
  4. Middle Englishre-
  5. Englishre-
  6. Englishcite
  7. Englishrecite

From re- + cite.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic تَلَا
  • تَلَا (talā)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Bulgarian рецити́рам, деклами́рам
  • рецити́рам (recitíram)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • деклами́рам (deklamíram)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • изброя́вам (izbrojávam)to list or enumerate something
  • изброя́ (izbrojá)to list or enumerate something
  • декламирам (deklamiram)to deliver a recitation
Catalan recitar
  • recitarto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Chinese Mandarin 背誦 /背诵, 朗誦 /朗诵
  • 背誦 /背诵 (bèisòng)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • 朗誦 /朗诵 (lǎngsòng)to deliver a recitation
Czech recitovat
  • recitovatto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Danish recitere
  • recitereto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Dutch reciteren
  • reciterento repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Esperanto reciti, deklami
  • recitito repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • deklamito repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Finnish lausua, luetella
  • lausuato repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • luetellato list or enumerate something
French réciter
  • réciterto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
German vortragen, rezitieren
  • vortragento repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • rezitierento repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • zu Gehör bringento repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • aufsagento repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • deklamierento repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Greek απαγγέλλω, απαριθμώ
  • απαγγέλλω (apangéllo)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • απαριθμώ (aparithmó)to list or enumerate something
Hebrew דִקְלֵם
  • דִקְלֵם (diklém)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Hungarian felmond, szaval
  • felmondto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • szavalto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • felsorolto list or enumerate something
Indonesian hafal
  • hafalto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Japanese 暗唱する, 吟ずる
  • 暗唱する (anshō suru)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • 吟ずる (ginzuru)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Korean 부르다, 암송하다
  • 부르다 (bureuda)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • 암송하다 (amsonghada)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • 읊다 (eupda)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • 낭독하다 (nangdokhada)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • 복창하다 (bokchanghada)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Latin recitō
  • recitōto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Māori tātaku, takutaku
  • tātakuto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • takutakuto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • takitakito repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • whakaaraarato repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • tohitūto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • takito repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • taki-ā-kākāto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Norwegian Bokmål resitere, resitere
  • resitereto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • resitereto deliver a recitation
Norwegian Nynorsk resitere, resitera, resitere, resitera
  • resitere, resiterato repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • resitere, resiterato deliver a recitation
Polish recytować, wyrecytować
  • recytowaćto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • wyrecytowaćto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • recytowaćto list or enumerate something
  • wyrecytowaćto list or enumerate something
Portuguese recitar
  • recitarto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Russian деклами́ровать, продеклами́ровать
  • деклами́ровать (deklamírovatʹ)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • продеклами́ровать (prodeklamírovatʹ)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • цити́ровать (citírovatʹ)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • процити́ровать (procitírovatʹ)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • перечисля́ть (perečisljátʹ)to list or enumerate something
  • перечи́слить (perečíslitʹ)to list or enumerate something
  • деклами́ровать (deklamírovatʹ)to deliver a recitation
  • продеклами́ровать (prodeklamírovatʹ)to deliver a recitation
  • цити́ровать (citírovatʹ)to deliver a recitation
  • процити́ровать (procitírovatʹ)to deliver a recitation
Spanish recitar, declamar
  • recitarto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
  • declamarto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Tamil ஓது
  • ஓது (ōtu)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Thai ท่อง
  • ท่อง (tɔ̂ng)to repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text
Welsh adrodd
  • adroddto repeat aloud some passage, poem or other text

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with recite

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

recite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recite

MLA

“recite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recite. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “recite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recite.

Source: recite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.