Recursion is often used to traverse data structures like trees or linked lists. In these cases, a recursive function can visit each node or element by calling itself on the child nodes or the next element in the list. By repeatedly applying the same recursive function, the entire structure can be traversed effectively.

Recursion is the process of defining a problem (or the solution to a problem) in terms of (a simpler version of) itself. For example, we can define the operation "find your way home" as: If you are at home, stop moving.

A sentence can have a structure in which what follows the verb is another sentence: Dorothy thinks witches are dangerous, in which the sentence witches are dangerous occurs in the larger one.

The ability to mindread recursively-for example, by thinking what person 1 thinks person 2 thinks person 3 thinks-is a prime example of recursive thinking in which one process, representation, or idea becomes embedded within a similar one.