What does remember mean?
Remember is a common English verb meaning to bring a person, place, event, or piece of information back into the mind. It is also used to mean to keep something in mind, especially a responsibility or request: remember to call your mother. In more formal contexts, remember can refer to commemorating a person or event through a ceremony, monument, or anniversary. The verb has several closely related patterns: "I remember seeing the message" describes recalling a past experience, while "I remember to lock the door" means keeping an intended action in mind. Its connotations are largely neutral, though it often appears in advice, warnings, and expressions of personal significance. Remember is also important in public and historical language, where it suggests continuity, memory, and recognition of the past. The word comes from the Latin verb memorare, meaning "to call to mind," and is related to memory, memorable, memorial, and commemorate.
verbTo recall something to the mind, or to retain something in memory. It can also mean to keep someone or something in mind, commemorate an event, or recognize that something needs to be done.
- To recall information, an event, a person, or an experience.
- To keep a person, place, duty, or consideration in mind.
- To commemorate or observe an event or anniversary.
- To bear in mind that something must be done.
"Please remember to lock the door when you leave."
"I remember meeting her at the conference last year."
"The village remembers the flood of 1953 with a yearly memorial service."
Remember comes from the Latin memorare, “to call to mind,” the same root that connects memory, memorial, and commemoration.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remember come from?
The English word comes from the Latin memorare, meaning "to call to mind" or "to remember." It developed through Old French and Middle English, where it acquired its established modern spelling and meanings. Its Latin relatives include memorable, memory, memorial, and commemorate, all of which reflect the broader idea of remembering or preserving the memory of something. The word has long been central to English expressions concerning recollection, intention, commemoration, and remembrance.
Related word forms
How remember is actually used
The phrase "remember to do something" means not to forget an intended action. "Remember doing something" refers to recalling a past action and should not be confused with it. In formal contexts, "remember" may mean to commemorate an event or anniversary.
Easily confused with remember
Remember means to recall something yourself, while remind means to cause someone else to recall or notice something.
Remember generally means to retain information in memory, whereas memorize more specifically means to learn something thoroughly so it can be reproduced accurately.