ENGLISH
REFERENCE

recognizing

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈɹɛkəɡˌnaɪzɪŋ// rec·og·niz·ing

v. to identify someone or something because you have seen or heard them before. You can also use it to show you understand that something is true or important.

v. to identify a person or thing from previous encounter or knowledge; to acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of something. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

I had trouble recognizing him with his new haircut.

CONTEXTUAL

The company is finally recognizing the hard work of its employees by offering a bonus.

COMPLEX

While the software is capable of recognizing faces in low light, it struggles to distinguish between identical twins during high-speed motion capture.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. In the sense of 'acknowledging', it often takes a 'that' clause.

Pitfall

I am recognizing you now.I recognize you now.When used to mean 'identifying', this is a stative verb and is rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.

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