recover
Americanverb (used with object)
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to get back or regain (something lost or taken away).
to recover a stolen watch.
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to make up for or make good (loss, damage, etc., to oneself ).
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to regain the strength, composure, balance, or the like, of (oneself ).
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Law.
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to obtain by judgment in a court of law, or by legal proceedings.
to recover damages for a wrong.
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to acquire title to through judicial process.
to recover land.
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to reclaim from a bad state, practice, etc.
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to regain (a substance) in usable form, as from refuse material or from a waste product or by-product of manufacture; reclaim.
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Military. to return (a weapon) to a previously held position in the manual of arms.
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Football. to gain or regain possession of (a fumble).
They recovered the ball on their own 20-yard line.
verb (used without object)
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to regain health after being sick, wounded, or the like (often followed byfrom ).
to recover from an illness.
- Synonyms:
- rally , recuperate , mend , heal
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to regain a former and better state or condition.
The city soon recovered from the effects of the earthquake.
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to regain one's strength, composure, balance, etc.
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Law. to obtain a favorable judgment in a suit for something.
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Football. to gain or regain possession of a fumble.
The Giants recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.
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to make a recovery in fencing or rowing.
verb
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(tr) to find again or obtain the return of (something lost)
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to regain (loss of money, position, time, etc); recoup
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(of a person) to regain (health, spirits, composure, etc), as after illness, a setback, or a shock, etc
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to regain (a former and usually better condition)
industry recovered after the war
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law
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(tr) to gain (something) by the judgment of a court of law
to recover damages
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(intr) to succeed in a lawsuit
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(tr) to obtain (useful substances) from waste
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(intr) (in fencing, swimming, rowing, etc) to make a recovery
Related Words
Recover, reclaim, retrieve are to regain literally or figuratively something or someone. To recover is to obtain again what one has lost possession of: to recover a stolen jewel. To reclaim is to bring back from error or wrongdoing, or from a rude or undeveloped state: to reclaim desert land by irrigation. To retrieve is to bring back or restore, especially something to its former, prosperous state: to retrieve one's fortune.
Other Word Forms
- recoverability noun
- recoverable adjective
- recoverer noun
Etymology
Origin of recover
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English recoveren, from Middle French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre “to regain”; recuperate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But I had inherited my father’s depressed DNA, and like him, I couldn’t recover.
From Salon
It means the new owners can plot an immediate transfer plan next summer to recover the club from League One - which is an inevitability.
From BBC
Airbus shares fell as much as 10% before recovering some ground.
It's over to the batters to ensure those England quicks have the time to recover.
From BBC
Tsang said that "some remains have already been reduced to ashes" and that it was possible that some of the people reported missing will not be recovered.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
