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

Etymology

Origin of recharge

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

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

But as the river was walled in against flooding, more people built even closer to it, and floodwater had no place to go to recharge the water table — nowhere but down and out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Those require large batteries that can struggle with long recharge times.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

These cables, sometimes included with your car from the manufacturer, allow you to draw a charge from another battery or vehicle and recharge your battery enough to turn the starter.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

"That's how I recharge, and I feel very proud of myself for being independent and doing things alone… I think it's something that should be celebrated."

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

It's going to take twelve hours to recharge, after all.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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

It runs 15-30 minutes on a full battery, depending on the speed, and recharges in 45 minutes to about 3 hours, depending on your charger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025

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

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025

“You’re going to have more short-term runoff leading to more floods and less snowpack that recharges the groundwater and the groundwater is ultimately what helps maintain stream flows.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023

A little advertising by the service station man, stating that he sells radio batteries, and also recharges them should bring in: very profitable business.

From The Automobile Storage Battery Its Care And Repair by Otto A. Witte

"It recharged her and made her feel better," McVey said.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

Thermal batteries, such as the one being developed by Cache Energy, store heat instead of electricity, and can be recharged and discharged over and over.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

With the battery emptying itself within about 11 seconds of full power, it is emptying and being recharged constantly around a lap.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

“Yeah, I guess—maybe it needed to get recharged or something. I don’t know.”

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

At the maximum charging rate of 200 kW, recharging from 10-80% times out at 30 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

Other agencies are recharging aquifers at dozens of sites across California and are building more facilities to replenish groundwater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026

Eating out is an experience he values, a way of recharging mentally after stetches of demanding care work.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

The distance that electric trucks can travel without recharging can be drastically cut when towing heavy loads or operating in less ideal conditions, such as cold weather.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 29, 2025

I'd have to swap batteries again when I'm recharging them, but again, so what?

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• refresh
• regenerate
• rejuvenate