recall

Universal Words verb, noun verb 1 (formal) (not used in the progressive tenses) to remember sth: [VN] She could not recall his name. * [V] If I recall correctly, he lives in Luton. * [V-ing] I can't recall meeting her before. * [Vthat] He recalled that she always came home late on Wednesdays. * [Vwh-] Can you recall exactly what happened? [also VN-ing, Vspeech] 2 (not used in the progressive tenses) to make sb think of sth: The poem recalls Eliot's 'The Waste Land'. 3 [VN] to order sb to return: Both countries recalled their ambassadors. * He was recalled to military duty. * They have both been recalled to the Welsh squad (= selected as members of the team after a time when they were not selected). 4 [VN] to ask for sth to be returned, often because there is sth wrong with it: The company has recalled all the faulty hairdryers. noun 1 [U] the ability to remember sth that you have learned or sth that has happened in the past: She has amazing powers of recall. * to have instant recall (= to be able to remember sth immediately) * to have total recall (= to be able to remember all the details of sth) 2 [sing.] an official order or request for sb/sth to return, or for sth to be given back: Thomas's recall to the Welsh team * Hundreds of machines are still in use in spite of a recall by the manufacturers. IDIOMS beyond recall impossible to bring back to the original state; impossible to remember: The paintings were damaged beyond recall.