TKG English Learner's Dictionary

record

2 entries: noun · verb

recordnoun

American /ˈrɛk.ɚd/ British /ˈrek.ɔːd/ The noun is stressed on the first syllable; the verb record is stressed on the second.
plural records
very commondefining vocabulary

A record is something kept so that what happened, what was done, what was played, or the best result ever reached can be known again later.

  1. written informationa piece of information written down or stored on a computer so that it can be looked at later

    countable [C]

    Collocations

    verb + noun keep a record, check the records, search the records, update the records
    adjective + noun a written record, a detailed record, an accurate record, official records, medical records, public records
    noun + preposition a record of

    Compare report (a report is a written account prepared for someone to read; a record is kept so that facts are not lost)

  2. past behaviorthe facts about what a person or a group has done in the past, especially how well or badly they have done it

    countable [C] usually singular [usu sing]

    Collocations

    adjective + noun a criminal record, a clean record, a good record, a poor record, a track record, a proven record
    noun + noun safety record, attendance record, driving record
    noun + preposition a record on, a record of, a record as

  3. best everthe best result, or the highest or lowest level, that has ever been reached in a sport or any other activity

    countable [C] often before another noun [before noun]

    Collocations

    verb + noun break a record, set a record, hold a record, beat a record, equal a record
    adjective + noun a world record, a national record, a new record, an all-time record
    noun + noun record time, record levels, record profits, a record number
    noun + preposition a record for

  4. musica thin, flat, round piece of plastic that stores music and is played on a special machine

    countable [C] often before another noun [before noun] music

    Collocations

    verb + noun play a record, put on a record, collect records
    noun + noun record player, record store, record collection

    Compare cd

    For translators (sense 4)

    Cultural background Vinyl records are still sold and collected, so record player and record store are current words, though most music is now heard as digital files.

  5. song or albuma song, or a group of songs sold together, made available for people to buy or listen to

    countable [C] often before another noun [before noun] music

    Collocations

    verb + noun make a record, release a record
    noun + noun record company, record label, record deal
    adjective + noun a hit record

    Synonyms album

    For translators (sense 5)

    Cultural background A set of songs sold together is more often called an album; record in this sense need not be on vinyl.

Phrases

on record

known from official records, or having said something publicly so that it can be quoted

off the record

said in private and not to be reported or quoted

on the record

said openly and officially, so that it can be reported or quoted

for the record

so that the true facts are known and remembered

Said before a statement that the speaker wants noted, often to correct a wrong idea.

set the record straight

tell people the true facts after something wrong has been said or believed

Word family

Usage

The noun record is stressed on the first syllable, REC-ord; the verb record is stressed on the second, re-CORD. You keep a record of something and hold, set, or break a record for something. In music, record can mean the physical vinyl disc or, more generally, a released song or album.

Common mistakes

She made a new record in the race. She set a new record in the race.
The verbs for a best result are set, break, and beat; make a record means produce a music recording.

For translators

Meaning across languages The written-information sense, the best-ever sense, and the music senses are often different words in other languages. Translate each sense separately.
Grammar trap Countable in every sense. Before another noun, record means the best or highest ever: record profits, a record number. Keep a record of something; hold, set, or break a record for something.
Cultural background A criminal record can make it hard to get some jobs, which is why people speak of a clean record. In journalism, on the record and off the record say whether someone's words may be quoted; the pair is also used more generally for speaking openly or privately.
False friends In some languages a word that looks like record means a memory or a souvenir, and in others it has only the sports sense. In English a record is information that has been written down or stored so that it can be checked later, not a personal memory.
Pronunciation trap The noun has the stress on the first syllable, REC-ord, with a weak vowel in the second syllable in American English. The verb record has the stress on the second syllable, re-CORD. Keeping these two apart is the main trap with this word.

recordverb

American /rɪˈkɔrd/ British /rɪˈkɔːd/ The verb is stressed on the second syllable; the noun record is stressed on the first.
third-person singular records past tense recorded past participle recorded present participle recording
very commondefining vocabulary

To record something is to keep it, in writing, in sound or pictures, or as a measured number, so that it can be known later.

  1. write downwrite down or store information so that it can be known later

    transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] verb + that-clause [V + that] verb + wh-clause [V + wh]

    Collocations

    verb + noun record the details, record the results, record a temperature, record a birth
    adverb + verb officially recorded, carefully recorded, accurately recorded

    Synonyms write down; note; take down; take

    Compare register (you register a birth or a car with an official body; the official then records it)

  2. sound or videostore sound or moving pictures with a machine, a camera, or a phone, so that they can be heard or seen again

    transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + object [V + obj] verb + object + -ing form [V + obj + -ing]

    Collocations

    verb + noun record a song, record an album, record a message, record a conversation, record a video, record a call
    verb + preposition record something on video, record something on your phone
    adverb + verb secretly recorded, digitally recorded

    Compare film (film is for moving pictures, with or without sound; record also covers sound alone); tape (tape is the older word, from the days of tape machines)

  3. measureshow a measurement, or reach a result that is then noted officially

    transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + noun record a temperature, record a loss, record a profit, record a time, record a win
    noun + verb an instrument records, a sensor records

Word family

Usage

Record is stressed on the second syllable as a verb, re-CORD, and on the first as a noun, REC-ord. In the sound sense, you record a song, a message, or a conversation; the thing you make is a recording, not a record, unless it is a vinyl disc.

For translators

Meaning across languages Many languages use different verbs for writing something down, for capturing sound or video, and for an instrument measuring a level. Check which verb each sense needs; the sound sense often has a verb of its own.
Grammar trap Transitive in the writing sense: record something, record that something happened. In the sound sense it is also used without an object: the camera is recording. Record someone doing something means capture them on sound or video.
False friends In some languages a look-alike verb means remember or remind. English record never means remember; it means keep something in writing, in sound, or in pictures.
Pronunciation trap Stress the second syllable, re-CORD; the first syllable is short and light, close to the a in again. The noun record stresses the first syllable instead, REC-ord. Do not give both syllables equal weight.