recover

American  

[ri-kuhv-er] / rɪˈkʌv ər /

verb (used with object)

• recovers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recovered,
  past participle,  past
• recovering
  present participle

1. to get back or regain (something lost or taken away).

   to recover a stolen watch.

2. to make up for or make good (loss, damage, etc., to oneself ).

3. to regain the strength, composure, balance, or the like, of (oneself ).

4. Law.

   1. to obtain by judgment in a court of law, or by legal proceedings.

      to recover damages for a wrong.

   2. to acquire title to through judicial process.

      to recover land.

5. to reclaim from a bad state, practice, etc.

6. to regain (a substance) in usable form, as from refuse material or from a waste product or by-product of manufacture; reclaim.

7. Military. to return (a weapon) to a previously held position in the manual of arms.

8. Football. to gain or regain possession of (a fumble).

   They recovered the ball on their own 20-yard line.

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verb (used without object)

• recovers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recovered,
  past participle,  past
• recovering
  present participle

1. to regain health after being sick, wounded, or the like (often followed byfrom ).

   to recover from an illness.

   Synonyms:

   rally, recuperate, mend, heal

2. to regain a former and better state or condition.

   The city soon recovered from the effects of the earthquake.

3. to regain one's strength, composure, balance, etc.

4. Law. to obtain a favorable judgment in a suit for something.

5. Football. to gain or regain possession of a fumble.

   The Giants recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

6. to make a recovery in fencing or rowing.

recover British  

/ rɪˈkʌvə /

verb

1. (tr) to find again or obtain the return of (something lost)

2. to regain (loss of money, position, time, etc); recoup

3. (of a person) to regain (health, spirits, composure, etc), as after illness, a setback, or a shock, etc

4. to regain (a former and usually better condition)

   industry recovered after the war

5. law

   1. (tr) to gain (something) by the judgment of a court of law

      to recover damages

   2. (intr) to succeed in a lawsuit

6. (tr) to obtain (useful substances) from waste

7. (intr) (in fencing, swimming, rowing, etc) to make a recovery

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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• recoverability
  noun
• recoverer
  noun
• recoverable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• recovering
  present
• recovered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• recover
  simple
• recovers
  simple
• have recovered
  perfect
• has recovered
  perfect
• am recovering
  progressive
• are recovering
  progressive
• is recovering
  progressive
• have been recovering
  perfect progressive
• has been recovering
  perfect progressive

Past

• recovered
  simple
• had recovered
  perfect
• was recovering
  progressive
• were recovering
  progressive
• had been recovering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will recover
  simple
• will have recovered
  perfect
• will be recovering
  progressive
• will have been recovering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of recover

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English recoveren, from Middle French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre “to regain”; see origin at recuperate

Explanation

To recover something is to get it back. After you lose your watch, you might recover it from the wastebasket. The re- in recover is a clue that this word has "again" as part of its meaning. We can only recover things that we had before. Often, this word applies to health. Someone who is sick needs to recover — when they're totally recovered, they're all better. If the stock market crashes, it needs to recover — this happens when the market is healthier and money is flowing again. It's good to recover, but it means something bad happened in the first place.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recover recovers recovered recovering

At the heart of Britain's coin factory, old Bank of England telephones are stripped down and dipped into giant vats to recover a hidden treasure: the gold in their circuits.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Most people recover without treatment, according to the agency.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

But its chemical stability also makes it difficult to recover from electronic waste.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

He added that officers would be required to follow listings of stolen goods advertised online and recover belongings where possible.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

It took Karli three or four of those days to recover.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

He believes it will take three to fours years before the vegetation recovers, adding: "It will be a long, long road and there is not a lot we can do hasten that recovery."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Stryker SYK -1.20%decrease; down pointing triangle reported a higher profit and revenue growth in the second quarter as the company recovers from a March cyberattack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

“Collaboration recovers children sooner, links investigation, dismantles trafficking organizations and holds traffickers accountable. A trafficker should never escape accountability because critical information was sitting in another agency’s database.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

"I worry less about occasional use and the slight inflammation that it might cause for a temporary period. Your body probably recovers from that very quickly, with very little damage," he says.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

Fifi looks down fondly at her baby and recovers her good mood.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office told US media that an individual had been "safely recovered" and taken to "a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

The ACP said the recovered bodies of the four climbers would be returned to their families.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Those materials can be recovered from black mass through recycling processes such as chemical processing or smelting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The specimens he recovered are now permanently preserved in major repository museums.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

For example, among the objects recovered were both a large anvil and a small anvil, two stone hammerheads commonly used in metalworking, and several stone polishers.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

They fell as low as 6.5 million at the end of last year before partly recovering.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

At the same time, soaring gold prices have made recovering increasingly attractive.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Emily Burton, conservation manager, said: "Gannet populations have suffered significant declines, and many colonies are still recovering from the impacts of avian influenza."

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

“It’s almost embarrassing,” said Stewart, who began the season on the IL while recovering from shoulder surgery and had another IL stint when he aggravated a bone spur in his left foot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

But he was still recovering from the trauma of the war as well as some serious traumas that preceded his military experience.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• bounce back
• gain
• grow
• heal
• increase
• overcome
• pick up
• rebound
• recuperate
• restore
• revive