recitation
noun
rec·i·ta·tion
ˌre-sə-ˈtā-shən 
1
: the act of enumerating
a recitation of relevant details
2
: the act or an instance of reading or repeating aloud especially publicly
3
a
: a student's oral reply to questions
b
: a class period especially in association with and for review of a lecture
Examples of recitation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker deviated from the usual recitation of facts at this year’s State of the City address and instead chose to highlight the stories of individual residents.
—
Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2025
The meeting ended up not as a showcase of major changes to the military but a recitation of familiar talking points from Hegseth and Trump.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 1 Oct. 2025
The Harlem Renaissance was filled with poetry and song—and with performance, as enshrined in Greaves’s footage which features many spontaneous, thrillingly theatrical recitations of poems by Bontemps, Hughes, Cullen, and McKay.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
More than a dozen early cases generally upheld laws and policies mandating their recitation in schools.
—Lydia Artz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recitation
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Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2025
The meeting ended up not as a showcase of major changes to the military but a recitation of familiar talking points from Hegseth and Trump.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 1 Oct. 2025
The Harlem Renaissance was filled with poetry and song—and with performance, as enshrined in Greaves’s footage which features many spontaneous, thrillingly theatrical recitations of poems by Bontemps, Hughes, Cullen, and McKay.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
More than a dozen early cases generally upheld laws and policies mandating their recitation in schools.
—Lydia Artz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recitation
Cite this Entry
“Recitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recitation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recitation
noun
rec·i·ta·tion
ˌres-ə-ˈtā-shən
1
: a complete telling or listing of something
2
: the act or an instance of reading or repeating aloud especially before an audience
3
: a student's oral reply to questions
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