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

The CMS has the power to try to recover arrears if parents fall behind with payments.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Some analysts have ventured to say that diminished demand could keep a lid on oil prices through the rest of the year, even if traffic through the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t fully recover.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

"These changes can also increase fatigue and make walking longer distances more challenging, while reducing the ability to recover from trips or slips -- a key factor in falls among older adults."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Seoul -- the poster child of the AI-stoked stock market boom -- rallied more than one percent as chipmakers SK hynix and Samsung continued to recover from last month's selloff.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

At least at the level of language, then, we need to recover the eighteenth-century context of things and not read back into those years the hallowed meanings they would acquire over the next century.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

She plans to return to her role as Princess Jane when she recovers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Uganda has since announced it is totally Ebola-free, going against the protocol of waiting 42 days from when the last patient recovers to declare an outbreak over.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

While demand usually recovers within months of a typical food-safety scare, high-profile outbreaks have more far-reaching consequences, Teplitski said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Museums have for a long time relied on wealthy individuals bequeathing, loaning or donating artefacts to build their science and art collections, explains Dr Smithwick, who recovers and sells fossils professionally.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The short one’s eyes widen for a split second, but he recovers quickly.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

This was supposed to be the year that U.S. home-improvement spending finally recovered from its hangover.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Earlier, Jobe had grafted a tendon to a recovered polio patient’s ankle to provide stabilization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Both sides agree that the body of one crew member from the two-person jets was recovered, but the other three crew members have never turned up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The paintings were recovered at the house of one of the suspects, police chief Pagliaro told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

For Bass, this evidence was supported by the fact that none of the objects recovered were Mycenaean.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

States consider whether recovering the Medicaid costs would cause the heir severe financial hardship, like leaving them destitute or forcing them to rely on public assistance.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

“Joe is home recovering and we’re so grateful to have been in such good hands.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The injured child suffered a leg injury and was recovering in hospital, the force added.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

SK Hynix stock dived 30% in premarket trade in Seoul before recovering much of the lost value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

I did not fully disclose my situation, but did say that Dr. Trefusis was in the city, too, and recovering from a long fever.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

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