recantre‧cant /rɪˈkænt/ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
Word Origin Examples
Word OriginWORD ORIGINrecant
Verb TableOrigin:
1500-1600 Latin recantare, from cantare ‘to sing’VERB TABLE
recant
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | recant |
| he, she, it | recants | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | recanted |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have recanted |
| he, she, it | has recanted | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had recanted |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will recant |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have recanted |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am recanting |
| he, she, it | is recanting | |
| you, we, they | are recanting | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was recanting |
| you, we, they | were recanting | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been recanting |
| he, she, it | has been recanting | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been recanting |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be recanting |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been recanting |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- After the Reformation, many Catholics recanted to avoid punishment.
- During the Moscow Show Trials in the 1930s, prisoners were forced to publicly recant.
- Galileo was forced to recant his belief in the Copernican theory.
- Giulio Cesare Vanini, one of the most outspoken atheists of his time but who did not recant, was less fortunate.
- If Amanda Johnston were to recant, and announce that the affair began in school, Woodhead's career would be finished.
- McNamara did not recant at the meeting nor did he apologize.
- She also testified that Irvin had terrorized her in an effort to make her recant her testimony against him.
- The magistrate Maximus offered Quirnus the position of priest to Jupiter if he would recant his faith.
- They blindfolded Mrs Dyer, roped her neck, and expected her to recant.
Longman Language Activatorto change your opinion or belief about something► change your mind
formal to say publicly that you no longer have a political or religious belief that you had before—recantation /ˌriːkænˈteɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable] to change your opinion about something or someone: · At first the doctor said I was suffering from a virus, but now he's changed his mind.· Everyone has a right to change their mind.change your mind about: · I'm hoping Dad will change his mind about Louise after he meets her tonight.· I've changed my mind about the Riviera. I do like it after all.
► revise your opinion formal to change your opinion because something has happened that has made you realize that you were wrong before: revise your opinion about/of: · Mrs Pemberton revised her opinion of her future son-in-law when he was accepted into law school.· Since visiting the refugee camps, I have revised my opinion about immigration quotas.
► change your tune to change your mind about something and talk about it in a very different way from how you did before: · She used to be a Communist, but she changed her tune when her parents left her all that money.· You've changed your tune all of a sudden! Only yesterday you were saying you thought Christmas presents were a waste of money.
► change of heart when you begin to feel differently about something or someone so that your attitude completely changes: · It's hard to explain this apparent change of heart.have a change of heart: · He didn't want kids at first, but he's had quite a change of heart.change of heart about: · We can only hope Congress may have a radical change of heart about welfare benefits.
► come around also come round British to change your mind so that you gradually begin to agree with someone else's idea or opinion, especially after they have persuaded you that they are right: · He'll come around eventually. He doesn't have any choice, does he?· My mother stopped speaking to me when I first married Tom, but she's slowly coming around now.come around to somebody's view/way of thinking: · We had to talk to Sam for a long time before he came round to our way of thinking.come around to the idea/view that: · A lot of employers are coming around to the idea that older employees have a lot to offer a company.come around to doing something: · We're hoping that they'll eventually come round to accepting our offer.
► recant formal to say publicly or formally that you have changed your mind and stopped believing what you used to believe, especially about religion or politics: · During the Moscow Show Trials in the 1930s, prisoners were forced to publicly recant.· After the Reformation, many Catholics recanted to avoid punishment.
WORD SETS► Religionacolyte, nounafterlife, nounagnostic, nounangel, nounanimism, nounanoint, verbapostasy, nounapostate, nounarchangel, nounbelieve, verbbeliever, nounbell-ringer, nounbless, verbblessed, adjectiveblessing, nouncelebrant, nounChristian Science, nouncircumcise, verbcircumcision, nouncommunion, nounconfession, nounconvent, nounconversion, nounconvert, nouncoreligionist, nouncowl, nouncredo, nouncreed, nouncult, noundaemon, nounDecalogue, noundefrock, verbdeism, noundenomination, noundenominational, adjectivedevotee, noundevotion, noundevotional, adjectivedevout, adjectivedivine, adjectivedivinity, noundruid, nounfaith, nounfast day, nounfeast, nounfervour, nounfiesta, nounfollow, verbfrankincense, noungentile, noungod, noungoddess, noungrace, nounhabit, nounhair shirt, nounhallelujah, interjectionhallowed, adjectivehalo, nounheathen, adjectiveheathen, nounheaven, nounheavenly, adjectivehell, nounheresy, nounheretic, nounhermit, nounhermitage, nounheterodox, adjectivehigh priest, nounidol, nounidolatry, nounincarnation, nounincense, nouninfidel, nounintercession, nouninvocation, nouninvoke, verbirreligious, adjective-ism, suffixlayman, nounlaywoman, nounlibation, nounliturgical, adjectiveliturgy, nounmartyr, nounmartyr, verbmeditate, verbmeditation, nounmission, nounmonastery, nounmonastic, adjectivemonk, nounmonotheism, nounMoonie, nounMormon, nounMosaic, adjectivemystery play, nounmystic, nounmystical, adjectivemysticism, nounneophyte, nounnovice, nounnovitiate, nounnuminous, adjectivenun, nounnunnery, nounoblation, nounobservance, nounoffering, nounOlympian, adjectiveordain, verborder, nounorthodox, adjectiveotherworldly, adjectivepagan, adjectivepagan, nounpantheism, nounpantheon, nounParsee, nounpilgrim, nounpilgrimage, nounpious, adjectivepluralism, nounpolytheism, nounpractise, verbpray, verbprayer, nounprayer wheel, nounpreach, verbpreacher, nounpriest, nounpriestess, nounpriesthood, nounpriestly, adjectiveprophet, nounprophetess, nounpurify, verbRasta, nounRastafarian, nounRastaman, nounRE, nounrecant, verbreincarnation, nounreligious, adjectivereligiously, adverbreliquary, nounrepent, verbretreat, nounrevelation, nounrevivalism, nounrite, nounritual, nounsacred, adjectivesacrifice, nounsacrifice, verbsacrificial, adjectivesanctify, verbsanctity, nounsanctuary, nounsanctum, nounsatanism, nounscripture, nounsect, nounsectarian, adjectiveservice, nounshaman, nounShinto, nounshrine, nounsin, nounsin, verbsinful, adjectivesinner, nounsoul, nounspirit, nounspiritual, adjectivespiritualism, nounspirituality, nounSr, sun god, nounsuppliant, nounsupplicant, nounsupplication, nounSupreme Being, nounTao, nounTaoism, nountemple, nountenet, nounthanksgiving, nountheism, nountheo-, prefixtheocracy, nountheologian, nountheological college, nountheology, nountonsure, nountranscendental, adjectivetranscendental meditation, nountransmigration, noununbelief, noununbeliever, nounungodly, adjectiveunholy, adjectiveunorthodox, adjectivevisionary, nounvoodoo, nounvotary, nounworship, verbworship, noun