Definition

1. Noun:
   • Something recalled to the mind: An individual memory, image, or thought that is brought back from the past.
   • The process of remembering: The mental action or faculty of retrieving stored information or past experiences.
   • The ability to recall past occurrences: The capacity or power of memory.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Something recalled):
  • My earliest recollection is of learning to ride a bicycle.
  • She shared a fond recollection of her grandmother.
• Noun (The process/ability):
  • The recollection of those events is painful for him.
  • His recollection of historical dates is impressive.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a dim/vague recollection of something": To remember something only unclearly or indistinctly.
  • I have only a dim recollection of our family's old house.
• "To have no recollection of something": To have no memory of something at all.
  • He claims to have no recollection of the accident.
• "To the best of my recollection": Used to indicate that what one is saying is based on one's memory, which may not be perfect.
  • To the best of my recollection, the meeting was scheduled for Tuesday.

Variants and Related Words

• Recollect (verb): To remember something; to bring back to the level of conscious awareness.
  • I cannot recollect where I put my keys.
• Recollective (adjective): Pertaining to or having the power of recollection.
  • The smell was highly recollective of my childhood.

Synonyms

• Memory: Something remembered from the past; the faculty of remembering.
• Remembrance: The action of remembering; a memory.
• Recall: The action or faculty of remembering something learned or experienced.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Within/beyond (one's) recollection": Within (or outside of) the period one can remember.
  • That ancient tradition is beyond my recollection.
  • The last major earthquake here is within my recollection.

Noun

1. something recalled to the mind
2. the process of remembering (especially the process of recovering information by mental effort)
   • he has total recall of the episode
3. the ability to recall past occurrences