1. The act of identifying someone or something on the basis of a past sighting or experience, the ability to do this, or the fact of being identified through having been seen or experienced before: Although Greg passed by Grace without any sign of recognition when he got off the bus, this occurred because his thoughts were focused on getting to work on time and he was close to being late.
2. Appreciation of the value of an achievement: Jim's pioneering work never got the recognition it deserved.
3. Acknowledgment of the existence or validity of something: Jack and Jill need recognition from the committee in order to proceed with the celebration.
4. Permission given by someone chairing a meeting to another person who has asked to speak: The head of the English department gave recognition to Mr. Smith who wanted to offer his opinion on the subject of grading.
5. The formal acceptance by one country of the independent and legal status of another country: Guatemala’s recognition of Belize ended the territorial controversy in 1991.
6. Something given or awarded as a token of acknowledgment or gratitude: Lynn was presented with a trophy as recognition of being the best improved violinist in the school orchestra.
7. The sensing and conversion of data into a machine-readable form by a computer: It is possible that handwriting can be transformed into a PC or laptop by certain means of recognition or coding.
8. In biology, the ability of molecules with complementary shapes to attach to one another: Enzyme-substrate and antibody-antigen interactions are two forms of recognition in the field of science.