The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Recommend \Rec`om*mend"\ (r?k`?m*m?nd"), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Recommended; p. pr. & vb. n. Recommending.] [Pref. re- +
   commend: cf. F. recommander.]
   1. To commend to the favorable notice of another; to commit
      to another's care, confidence, or acceptance, with
      favoring representations; to put in a favorable light
      before any one; to bestow commendation on; as, he
      recommended resting the mind and exercising the body.
      [1913 Webster]

            Maecenas recommended Virgil and Horace to Augustus,
            whose praises . . . have made him precious to
            posterity.                            --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To make acceptable; to attract favor to.
      [1913 Webster]

            A decent boldness ever meets with friends,
            Succeeds, and e'en a stranger recommends. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To commit; to give in charge; to commend.
      [1913 Webster]

            Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by
            the brethren unto the grace of God.   --Acts xv. 40.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

recommend
    v 1: push for something; "The travel agent recommended strongly
         that we not travel on Thanksgiving Day" [syn: recommend,
         urge, advocate]
    2: express a good opinion of [syn: commend, recommend]
    3: make attractive or acceptable; "Honesty recommends any
       person"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

103 Moby Thesaurus words for "recommend":
   acclaim, advance, advise, advocacy, advocate, advocating,
   advocation, applaud, approve, back, blandish, boost, brief,
   bring before, bring forward, bring up, broach, cajole, call on,
   call upon, certificate of character, character,
   character reference, coach, coax, commend, commend to attention,
   compliment, confer, consult with, counsel, credential, cry up,
   direct, endorse, exhort, favor, guide, hail, high-pressure, hype,
   importune, insist, insist upon, instruct, introduce, jawbone,
   kibitz, launch, lay before, letter of introduction, lobby,
   make a motion, meddle, moot, move, nag, offer a resolution,
   open up, patronage, persuade, plead with, plug, pose, postulate,
   praise, prefer, prescribe, press, pressure, promote, propose,
   proposition, propound, puff, push, put forth, put forward,
   put it to, recommendation, reference, second, set before,
   set forth, soft-soap, speak highly of, speak warmly of,
   speak well of, stand up for, start, submit, subscribe to, suggest,
   support, sweet-talk, testimonial, tout, underwrite, urge,
   vouch for, voucher, wheedle, work on