recommend
- 01 A2 Elementary
to say that someone or something is good and that others should choose them.
to present someone or something as worthy of confidence, acceptance, or use.
Simple“Can you recommend a good Italian restaurant in the city centre?”
In context“The travel guide highly recommends this boutique hotel for its exceptional service and central location.”
UsageCommonly followed by a noun, a gerund, or a 'that' clause.
PitfallI recommend you to see this film. I recommend that you see this film.The verb 'recommend' is not usually followed by an object + infinitive. Use a 'that' clause or a gerund instead.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
to give advice about the best thing to do in a situation.
to advise or counsel a particular action as being beneficial or necessary.
Simple“The doctor recommended getting more exercise and eating less sugar.”
In context“The committee recommended that the board postpone the decision until more financial data became available.”
UsageOften takes a 'that' clause with a subjunctive or 'should'.
Antonyms
recommend vs suggest — Suggest proposes a possibility for consideration, while recommend provides a stronger endorsement based on personal belief or expertise.
Usage recommended childhood · recommends children · highly recommend
From Middle English recommenden, from Old French recommender (compare French recommander), from Latin re- + commendāre (“to commend, commit; to recommend”), from con- + mandāre (“commit, intrust, enjoin”), from manus (“hand, handwriting, power”) + dare (“to give; to offer or render”). Compare typologically Bulgarian препоръчам (preporǎčam), Serbo-Croatian препоручити, Slovene priporočiti, Czech doporučit, Slovak odporučiť (the same meaning); Russian поручи́ться (poručítʹsja), пору́ка (porúka), поручи́тельство (poručítelʹstvo) (close meaning), all related to Proto-Slavic *rǫka (Bulgarian ръка (rǎka), Russian рука́ (ruká)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.