recharge

American  

[ree-chahrj, ree-chahrj, ree-chahrj] / riˈtʃɑrdʒ, riˈtʃɑrdʒ, ˈriˌtʃɑrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

• recharges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recharged,
  past participle,  past
• recharging
  present participle

1. to charge again with electricity.

2. Informal. to refresh or restore; revitalize.

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verb (used without object)

• recharges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recharged,
  past participle,  past
• recharging
  present participle

1. to make a new charge, especially to attack again.

2. Informal. to revive or restore energy, stamina, enthusiasm, etc.

noun

• recharges
  plural

1. an act or instance of recharging.

2. Geology. the processes by which groundwater is absorbed into the zone of saturation.

recharge British  

/ riːˈtʃɑːdʒ /

verb

1. to cause (an accumulator, capacitor, etc) to take up and store electricity again

2. to revive or renew (one's energies) (esp in recharge one's batteries )

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recharger
  noun
• rechargeable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• recharges
  plural

Participles

• recharging
  present
• recharged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• recharge
  simple
• recharges
  simple
• have recharged
  perfect
• has recharged
  perfect
• am recharging
  progressive
• are recharging
  progressive
• is recharging
  progressive
• have been recharging
  perfect progressive
• has been recharging
  perfect progressive

Past

• recharged
  simple
• had recharged
  perfect
• was recharging
  progressive
• were recharging
  progressive
• had been recharging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will recharge
  simple
• will have recharged
  perfect
• will be recharging
  progressive
• will have been recharging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of recharge

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “to reload (a vessel)”; see re-, charge

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Explanation

When you recharge something, you bring it back to life or reenergize it. You might charge your cell phone in the morning and then recharge it later in the day. If you can charge your electronics (or provide them with electrical energy), you can also recharge them when that energy is depleted. In addition to your camera battery and laptop, sometimes you need to recharge yourself, or take a break so you can become energized again. Less commonly, recharge is used to mean "refill a glass," and the original meaning, in the fifteenth century, was "to reload a vessel."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recharge recharges recharged recharging

So it’s understandable they would need to recharge by getting away from Washington from time to time.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

Attorney Michael Spence told the judge during a September hearing that there was no plan to recharge Hearn, but he couldn’t promise the office wouldn’t investigate further whether he vandalized the reflecting pool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

He’s been called the godfather of farmland groundwater recharge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

The Semi comes in two versions, Standard Range and Long Range, with the latter able to travel about 500 miles before needing to recharge its battery.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Saving my game also allowed me to log out for bathroom breaks, and to recharge my space heater.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

At lower speeds, as in city traffic, you begin to hear the engine’s whispered revving in the perceptual background as it simultaneously propels the car and recharges the 22.7-kWh battery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

That includes “extended range electric vehicles,” battery-powered cars that have an onboard generator, running on gas, that recharges batteries on the fly.

From Barron's ● Dec. 15, 2025

Regenerative braking in EVs, which recharges the battery, does not involve friction.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025

The wetland attracts birds, such as coots and tricolored blackbirds, and also recharges the aquifer that the roots of cottonwoods and willows tap into.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2024

The energy of the recoil brings the gun back and at the same time recharges the compressed air reservoir.

From Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Frederick Arthur Ambrose Talbot

Instead, it reveals how a magma reservoir can be recharged over thousands of years, an important process that scientists need to understand before they can reliably assess the long-term behavior of supervolcanoes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

This year, drought has not developed as quickly because heavy rainfall recharged our aquifers, rivers and reservoirs during a very wet autumn and winter.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

"It stores sunlight, and it can be recharged."

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

Something that stopped being effective suddenly emerges recharged and presto!

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

On land, her battery recharged whenever she was in sunlight.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Besides his unconventional path to becoming a Green Lantern, Stewart is in possession of a unique lantern for recharging his ring that was forged by Sinestro, Jordan’s disgraced mentor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

In the comics, Green Lanterns are known for their oaths, which they recite when recharging their rings or to reaffirm their commitment to the group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

This is about recharging and being immersed in my culture.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

The 400V battery system has a maximum recharging rate of 190 kW, restoring around 80% of capacity in 45 minutes or less.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026

Every time I step out in the morning and see them, they seem to have aged overnight, like sleep is actually draining life from them instead of recharging their batteries.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

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Related Words

• refresh
• regenerate
• rejuvenate

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