v. 1
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.
v. 2
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.
v. 3
To acknowledge or consider (as being a certain thing or having a certain quality or property).
Slavery is widely recognized as immoral.

Related words

Word family: recognizable recognizance recognition
Other spellings: re-cognise re-cognize recognise UK

Forms

Past participle: recognized
e.g. recognized → discerned, identified, distinguished, noticed…

Choose the right word

or Recognize?

Recognize supposes that we have either forgotten or not had the evidence of a thing distinctly before our minds, but that now we know it (as it were) anew, or receive and admit in on the ground of the evidence it brings. Thus, we recognize a friend after a long absence.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Example sentences

notice It'll be impossible to get a visa at short notice.
identify They were able to identify him by his wrist watch.
distinguish We cannot distinguish her from her younger sister.
discern It is hard to discern between the true and the false.
accept We are sorry we are unable to accept your request.
acknowledge Could you please acknowledge receipt of this note?

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
recognize		steady
notice		steady
identify		rising
distinguish		steady
discern		rising
accept		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: own¹
4 letters: know¹, find¹, spot¹, avow²
5 letters: place¹, sense¹, allow², admit², greet¹
6 letters: notice², accept², descry², agnise
7 letters: realize³, realise³, confess², concede², discern²
8 letters: identify⁴, discover³, perceive², accredit³
9 letters: apprehend³
10 letters: understand³, appreciate⁴
11 letters: acknowledge³, distinguish³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (avow² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: reconnaître
Español: reconocer
Deutsch: erkennen
Català: reconèixer