Remembering: English Vocabulary List

to think hard or make a great effort to remember or solve something

"I racked my brain for the answer."

"She had to rack her brain to recall the forgotten details of the event."

to make one feel a sense of familiarity or help one remember something

"That name rings a bell."

"When she mentioned the old song from our school days, it immediately rang a bell and brought back so many wonderful memories of our childhood."

to talk or write about one's enjoyable previous experiences

"We took a walk down memory lane looking at old photos."

"The old couple took a walk down memory lane by visiting the house where they first met."

to easily be able to remember things and rarely forget them

"She has a memory like an elephant."

"My grandmother has a memory like an elephant because she remembers every single detail from her childhood."

the unexpected appearance or remebrance of a person or thing that evokes nostalgic feelings within one

"Seeing my old friend was a blast from the past."

"Seeing my old childhood friend on the street was a real blast from the past for me."

a person's ability to visualize things that could happen

"In my mind's eye, I can still see my childhood home."

"In my mind eye I can still see my childhood home exactly as it looked forty years ago."

to make one think of something one saw or heard before

"His name has a familiar ring to it."

"The song has a familiar ring but I cannot remember where I have heard it before."

to help someone remember something they forgot

"This photo might jog your memory."

"Looking at the old photographs jogged my memory and I remembered details from my childhood that I had forgotten."

used to refer to events or experiences that have happened within the lifetime of people who are currently alive, particularly recently

"It happened in living memory."

"The last time it snowed this heavily was within living memory, and many older people still talk about it today."

(of a memory) to still be present in one's mind, particularly when one does not want to remember it

"Her words ring in my ears."

"The sound of that terrible accident still rings in my ears, and I cannot stop thinking about it every single day."

to bring up past painful or unresolved experiences, often leading to emotional distress or discomfort

"He opened old wounds again."

"Bringing up that painful divorce reopened old wounds for everyone at the family dinner last night."

as a way to remember or honor past experiences or relationships

"Let us visit that restaurant for old times' sake."

"The two old friends met for a drink for old times sake and laughed about their crazy college days."

used when one is trying to remember something, but is not sure whether one can remember it correctly

"If my memory serves me right, we met in 2019."

"If her memory served her correctly, the clause had been removed in the second draft, not the third."