tr.v., -called, -call·ing, -calls.

1. To ask or order to return: recalled all workers who had been laid off.
2. To summon back to awareness of or concern with the subject or situation at hand.
3. To remember; recollect. See synonyms at remember.
4. To cancel, take back, or revoke.
5. To bring back; restore.
6. To request return (of a product) to the manufacturer, as for necessary repairs or adjustments.

n. (also rē'kôl')

1. The act of recalling or summoning back, especially an official order to return.
2. A signal, such as a bugle call, used to summon troops back to their posts.
3. The ability to remember information or experiences.
4. The act of revoking.
5. 1. The procedure by which a public official may be removed from office by popular vote.
   2. The right to employ this procedure.
6. A request by the manufacturer of a product that has been identified as defective to return it, as for necessary repairs or adjustments.

recallable re·call'a·ble adj.

Manufacturer ordering that previously sold products be returned to repair or replace a defective part or parts. In some cases, the government orders the manufacturer to issue a recall, particularly in the case of automobiles having possible safety hazards. See also Recall Campaign; Recall Study.

verb

1. To renew an image or thought in the mind: bethink, mind, recollect, remember, reminisce, retain, revive, think. Idioms: bring to mind. See remember/forget.
2. To take back or remove: lift, repeal, rescind, reverse, revoke. See continue/stop/pause, law, make/unmake.
3. To disavow (something previously written or said) irrevocably and usually formally: abjure, recant, retract, take back, withdraw. See accept/reject.

noun

1. The power of retaining and recalling past experience: memory, recollection, remembrance, reminiscence. See remember/forget.
2. The act of reversing or annulling: repeal, rescission, reversal, revocation. See continue/stop/pause, law.

n

Definition: remembrance
Antonyms: forgetfulness

n

Definition: request for return
Antonyms: restoration

v

Definition: ask for return of offending thing
Antonyms: dissolve, restore

v

Definition: remember
Antonyms: forget

---

n

The procedure of advising or reminding a patient to have his oral health reviewed or reexamined; an important phase of preventive dentistry. Term is being replaced by preventive maintenance appointment.

Process whereby an elected official may be subject to an election which can lead to loss of office before his or her term of office has expired if a specified number or percentage of electors sign a petition calling for such an election. The recall device is widely available at state and local level in the United States, but is rarely used successfully.

— Wyn Grant

Retrieval of past experience; remembering a past event with minimal cues. In free recall, a series of events is recalled in any order; in serial recall, a specific order is required as well.

A state and local constitutional provision allowing for the removal of public officials by the voters. Fifteen states, mostly western, include recall for state-level officers, and many more allow for the removal of local officials. Recall is most often grouped with the Initiative and the Referendum; taken together, the three measures formed a cornerstone of the Progressive-Erareforms aimed at promoting "direct democracy." The first state to adopt the recall was Oregon in 1908 (it had earlier adopted the initiative and referendum), although the 1903 Los Angeles city charter actually marked the first instance of its inclusion in a community's body of fundamental law. Recall usually applies to administrative (executive branch) officials, although it has occasionally been applied to judicial officers as well. Along with the other measures, the demand for recall arose in response to the feeling among Progressive reformers that officials, because they were beholden to the party machines and special interests, paid little heed to the public welfare once elected or appointed.

In contrast to impeachment proceedings, which allow for the removal of elected and appointed officials accused of high crimes and misdemeanors by a tribunal of their legislative peers, recall invests the power of removal directly with the voters. The procedure calls for the presentation of a petition signed by a stipulated number of registered voters (usually 25 percent of those participating in the last election) requesting the official's removal. No indictable criminal or civil charges need be brought against the official in order for the petition to be valid. After judicial review to ensure the petition's authenticity and procedural conformance, a recall election is scheduled and the voters decide either to remove or to retain the official. While simple in theory, the process is actually cumbersome since the petition requires voter mobilization, and its submittal inevitably prompts legal challenges by those opposed.

Since its inception nearly a century ago, recall has been used infrequently and most often without success. Of the three measures, it has proven the least popular. The majority of attempts have involved local officials. Notable cases in the last thirty years of the twentieth century include unsuccessful efforts to remove Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich, and San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. At the time of its adoption in the early twentieth century the issue of recall was hotly debated, with those opposed to the measure arguing that, along with the initiative and referendum, it undercut representative government and would lead to mob rule. Even supporters such as Theodore Roosevelt admitted the procedure opened up "undoubted possibilities for mischief," and, especially in the case of judges, should only be used as a last resort.

Bibliography

Cronin, Thomas E. Direct Democracy: The Politics of Initiative, Referendum, and Recall. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1989.

Zimmerman, Joseph F. The Recall: Tribunal of the People. West-port, Conn.: Praeger, 1997.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The right or procedure by which a public official may be removed from a position by a vote of the people prior to the end of the term of office.

Recall is the retiring of an elected officer by a vote of the electorate. Some state constitutions prescribe the procedure that must be followed in a recall—for example, requiring the filing of a petition containing the signatures of a specific number of qualified voters.

A voluntary action of removing a product from retail or distribution by a manufacturer or distributor to protect the public from products that may cause health problems.

IN BRIEF: To call back. Also: To bring back to mind; remember.

Does anything eat flowers. I couldn't recall having seen anything eat a flower -- are they nature's privileged pets? — Annie Dillard

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Common misspelling(s) of recall

• reacll

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - tilbagekalde, hjemkalde, erindre, huske, kalde tilbage
n. - tilbagekaldelse, hjemkaldelse, erindring

idioms:

• beyond recall    uigenkaldelig
• past recall    uigenkaldelig
• product recall    tilbagekaldelse/tilbagetrækning af produkt (med fejl)

Nederlands (Dutch)
zich herinneren, gedenken, terugroepen, herroepen, (product) intrekken, opnieuw tot leven brengen, een cadeau terugnemen, terugroeping, geheugen, mogelijkheid om functionaris weg te stemmen, herroeping

Français (French)
v. tr. - se souvenir de, rappeler, (gén, Mil, Comput) rappeler
n. - mémoire, (gén, Mil, Comput) rappel

idioms:

• beyond recall    irrévocablement perdu
• past recall    irrévocablement perdu
• product recall    rappel de produit

Deutsch (German)
v. - sich erinnern, zurückrufen
n. - Rückruf, Abberufung, Erinnerungsvermögen

idioms:

• beyond recall    unwiderruflich
• past recall    unwiderruflich
• product recall    Warenrückruf (wegen angenommener Defekte)

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ανακαλώ (στη μνήμη κ.λπ.), (ξανα)θυμάμαι, (ξανα)θυμίζω, ανακαλώ, επαναφέρω, ακυρώνω, ανακαλώ
n. - ανάκληση, ανάμνηση, μνήμη, θύμηση, μνημονικό, (στρατ.) ανακλητήριο

idioms:

• beyond recall    ανέκκλητος, ξεγραμμένος, ανεκκλήτως
• past recall    ανέκκλητος, ξεγραμμένος, ανεκκλήτως
• product recall    ανάκληση προϊόντος

Italiano (Italian)
ricordarsi di, ricordare, richiamo, memoria

idioms:

• beyond recall    irrevocabile
• past recall    irrevocabile
• product recall    ritiro dal mercato di un prodotto

Português (Portuguese)
v. - chamar de novo, chamar de volta, relembrar
n. - novo chamamento (m)

idioms:

• beyond/past recall    impossível de ser lembrado
• product recall    devolução de produto

Русский (Russian)
вспомнить, воспоминания, память

idioms:

• beyond/past recall    бесследно
• product recall    вернуть производство

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - recordar, traer a la memoria, acordarse de
n. - llamada, destitución, retirada

idioms:

• beyond recall    irrevocable
• past recall    irrevocable
• product recall    retirar un producto (fallado) del mercado

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - upphäva, minnas, återkalla
n. - minne, politisk avsättning

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
回想, 回忆, 叫回, 召回, 使想起, 收回, 记忆

idioms:

• beyond recall    不能记起, 不可挽回
• past recall    不被记起的, 不能撤消的, 不能挽回的
• product recall    产品回收

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 回想, 回憶, 叫回, 召回, 使想起, 收回
n. - 回想, 回憶, 叫回, 召回, 記憶, 收回

idioms:

• beyond recall    不能記起, 不可挽回
• past recall    不被記起的, 不能撤消的, 不能挽回的
• product recall    產品回收

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 상기하다, 생각나게 하다
n. - 회상, 취소

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 呼び戻し, 召還, 回収, 思い出すこと, 回想, 記憶力, 帰還合図, 取り消し, 撤回, リコール
v. - 思い出す, 呼び戻す, 取り消す, 取り戻す, 回収する, リコールで解任する

idioms:

• beyond recall    取り返しのつかない
• beyond/past recall    取返しのつかない

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يتذكر, يسترجع الذكرى, يعيد استدعاء (الاسم) استدعاء, تذكر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮זכר, ביטל (הוראה), נזכר, החזיר, החייה‬
n. - ‮זיכרון, זכירה, החזרה, ביטול, אות-השיבה, תרועת-החזרה‬

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