reminisce

IPA/ˌremɪˈnɪs/
KK[rˌɛmənˈɪs]IPA/ˌremɪˈnɪs/

reminisce — verb

  • reminiscepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • reminisceshe / she / it
  • reminiscedpast simple
  • reminiscing-ing form

1. to bring back to mind and talk about enjoyable events or experiences from your p

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to bring back to mind and talk about enjoyable events or experiences from your past, usually with a feeling of fondness or warmth.

Example

Roya and her college friends often reminisce about their summer trips to the mountain cabin.

reminisce + about + noun phrase

When Aunt Shanti visits her hometown, she loves to reminisce about her childhood.

Common collocations
  • reminisce about
  • fondly reminisce
  • reminisce with friends
  • reminisce over coffee
Synonyms
  • recollect

    more formal and deliberate; does not imply sharing with others

  • look back

    phrasal verb, slightly more neutral in tone; can be used for non-happy memories as well

  • hark back

    more literary and often used for specific details or styles, not general reminiscing

Antonyms
  • forget

    the opposite action — to lose or fail to recall

Grammar Patterns

reminisce + about + noun phrase

Usage Note

Always intransitive — the object of the memory is introduced by the preposition 'about'. The subject is always a person or group of people. 'Reminisce' implies both remembering AND sharing the memory, unlike 'remember' which can be a private act.

Common Mistakes

We reminisced our trip to Japan.
We reminisced about our trip to Japan.
reminisce is intransitive and requires 'about' before the object.
She reminisces that summer was wonderful.
She reminisces about that wonderful summer.
a that-clause cannot follow reminisce directly; use 'about' + noun phrase.

Word family

  • reminiscence
    nounB2
  • reminiscent
    adjectiveB2
  • reminiscently
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four expressions refer to bringing past events to mind, but they differ in tone and context. 'Reminisce' is the warmest — it implies sharing fond memories with others, often in a social setting. 'Recollect' is more formal and deliberate; you might recollect facts or events for a specific purpose, not necessarily with pleasure. 'Look back' is the most neutral and covers any assessment of the past, happy or not. 'Hark back' is the most literary and is used when something resembles or recalls an earlier style or detail ('a design that harks back to the 1920s'). In everyday conversation, 'reminisce' and 'look back' are most natural; 'recollect' belongs in writing or formal speech.

reminisce ↗recollectlook back ↗hark back

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • reminisce about the good old days
  • reminisce over a cup of coffee
  • spend hours reminiscing

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'reminisci' (to remember, to recall), formed from 're-' (again) + 'memor' (mindful). The word entered English in the early 19th century as a back-formation from 'reminiscence'. Unlike the everyday verb 'remember', 'reminisce' carried from its Latin root a sense of active, pleasurable recollection rather than simple recall.