recollect oneself

/ˌrekəˈlekt wʌnˈself/

verb phrase

  1. to become calm and regain control of your thoughts and emotions after being surprised, upset, or confused

    B2

    reflexive; the pronoun changes according to the subject: recollect yourself, himself, herself, etc.formal

    • "She took a moment to recollect herself before answering."B1
    • "After the accident, he sat quietly until he had recollected himself."B2
    • "The witness paused to recollect herself before giving a detailed account of the incident."C1

Common mistakes

  • I recollected me.→I recollected myself.

    Use a reflexive pronoun that agrees with the subject.

Collocations

recollect oneself after a shocktake a moment to recollect oneselfrecollect oneself before speaking

Word family

recollectrecollectionrecollective