recycle
to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse: recycling paper to save trees.
to alter or adapt for new use without changing the essential form or nature of: The old factory is being recycled as a theater.
to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration: The governor recycled some speeches from his early days.
to cause to pass through a cycle again: to recycle laundry through a washing machine.
to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.
to undergo reuse or renewal; be subject to or suitable for further use, activity, etc.: The industry will recycle and become profitable once more.
the act or process of recycling.
Origin of recycle
1Other words from recycle
- re·cy·cla·ble, adjective
- re·cy·cla·bil·i·ty, noun
- re·cy·cler, re·cy·clist, noun
- non·re·cy·cla·ble, adjective
- un·re·cy·cled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for recycle
/ (riːˈsaɪkəl) /
to pass (a substance) through a system again for further treatment or use
to reclaim (packaging or products with a limited useful life) for further use
to institute a different cycle of processes or events in (a machine, system, etc)
to repeat (a series of operations)
the repetition of a fixed sequence of events
Derived forms of recycle
- recyclable or recycleable, adjective, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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