MEANING
To withdraw or repudiate a belief, statement, or confession previously professed.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- recant a confession
- recant a belief
On the page
The witness recanted the confession after the record was opened.
She would not recant a belief merely to regain their welcome.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- recant
- Past tense
- recanted
- Past participle
- recanted
- Present participle
- recanting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- recant
- Present continuous
- am/is/are recanting
- Present perfect
- have/has recanted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been recanting
- Past
- recanted
- Past continuous
- was/were recanting
- Past perfect
- had recanted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been recanting
- Future
- will recant
- Future continuous
- will be recanting
- Future perfect
- will have recanted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been recanting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: recant; recants; recanted; recanted; recanting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: recants.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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