Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To make a formal retraction or disavowal of (a statement or belief to which one has previously committed oneself).
- v. To make a formal retraction or disavowal of a previously held statement or belief.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To sing over again; utter repeatedly in song.
- To unsay; contradict or withdraw formally (something which one had previously asserted); renounce; disavow; retract: as, to recant one's opinion or profession of faith.
- Synonyms Abjure, Forswear, etc. See renounce.
- To revoke a declaration or proposition; unsay what has been said; renounce or disavow an opinion or a dogma formerly maintained; especially, to announce formally one's abandonment of a religious belief.
Wiktionary
- v. transitive, intransitive To withdraw from or repudiate a statement or opinion formerly expressed, especially formally and publicly.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To withdraw or repudiate formally and publicly (opinions formerly expressed); to contradict, as a former declaration; to take back openly; to retract; to recall.
- v. To revoke a declaration or proposition; to unsay what has been said; to retract.
WordNet 3.0
- v. formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
Etymologies
- First attested in 1535, from Latin recantare, present active infinitive of recanto ("to sing back, reecho, sing again, repeat in singing, recant, recall, revoke, charm back or away"), from re- ("back") + canto ("to chant, to sing"), frequentative of cano. (Wiktionary)
- Latin recantāre : re-, re- + cantāre, to sing, frequentative of canere; see kan- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Anyone with any knowledge of DV knows how often victims recant, which is why there are laws allowing police to prosecute them even in the absence of cooperation from the victim.”
“That girl, whose latest breath ascended in this sublime expression of self-oblivion, did not utter the word recant either with her lips or in her heart.”
The Best of the World's Classics, Vol. V (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland III
“With the recent 'recant' of the first accuser and the acquittal of the charges brought against Michael Jackson in 2005, peace will never be still.”
“So, tell me then ... what was the statement that the Vatican demanded that Galileo "recant"?”
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
“If so, WHAT was it that the Vatican demanded that he "recant"?”
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
“But with this issue, the bishop must "recant," i.e. not just renounce his views but seek human and divine forgiveness.”
Vatican says bishop's apology is not enough | RELIGION Blog | dallasnews.com
“The Mustache Institute - a tongue-in-check group dedicated to defending a man's right to sport a mustache against modern aversions - is demanding Snarr "recant" his shaving pledge and find another way to support the Children's Miracle Network.”
“is "recant" like decant? but after you've spent all that time letting it air right n all, whacking it back in the decanter, for later use. doesnt it just get more sour?”
“recant' was given by the Party Central Committee and delivered by Liu Shaoqi.”
“In the early hours of Wednesday, November 8, the networks declared Bush the winner of Florida and the presidency, only to recant that a short time later and conclude that the outcome in Florida, and thus of the national election, was too close to call.”
Simon & Schuster: The Conservative Assault on the Constitution
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘recant’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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GRE Barron's 800
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abject, abjure, abscission, abscond, abstemious, abstinence, abysmal, accretion and 787 more...
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Talk Talk
Words for Talking
( open list, randomness )squawk, gab, chatter, chitchat, blab, prattle, blather, discuss, hector, plead, cajole, harangue and 200 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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Yazhinni Spelling bee
tongue, stallion, scruple, salinity, schedule, rouge, populist, Permian, perspire, pasteurize, multitude, mournful and 227 more...
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[Open] Frequentative
“A verb which denotes the frequent occurrence or repetition of an action, as . . . waggle from wag.” — Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia.
Other examples include bobble (bob), bustle (b...dartle, stutter, agitate, dabble, waggle, aid, argue, daunt, expect, excite, espouse, dictate and 77 more...
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man gre
abase, abeyance, abreast, abscission, abscond, abyss, accede, accretion, acerbic, acidulous, acumen, adulterate and 483 more...
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List 2(starting at 260)
mammoth, overt, valor, aspire, relegate, bias, incisive, scurry, precipitate, singular, inveigh, repulse and 48 more...
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Formerly
Being a list of words with definitions containing the word "formerly."
formerly, armorer, link, plummet, brank, pall-mall, florin, quondam, erstwhile, imponderable, recant, ether and 32 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1847 more...
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Hit Parade GRE
Princeton Review words
abscond, aberrant, alacrity, anomaly, approbation, arduous, assuage, audacious, austere, axiomatic, canonical, capricious and 287 more...
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1100 words you need to know
GRE words
voracious, indiscriminate, replete, steeped, eminent, perceive, intrepid, compound, automaton, reticent, interminable, drudgery and 288 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for recant.
Prolagus I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.
(Martin Luther) Mar 18, 2008