recovery
Americannoun
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an act of recovering.
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the regaining of or possibility of regaining something lost or taken away.
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restoration or return to health from sickness.
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restoration or return to any former and better state or condition.
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time required for recovering.
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something that is gained in recovering.
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an improvement in the economy marking the end of a recession or decline.
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the regaining of substances in usable form, as from refuse material or waste products.
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Law. the obtaining of right to something by verdict or judgment of a court of law.
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Football. an act or instance of recovering a fumble.
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Fencing. the movement to the position of guard after a lunge.
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Rowing. a return to a former position for making the next stroke.
noun
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the act or process of recovering, esp from sickness, a shock, or a setback; recuperation
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restoration to a former or better condition
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the regaining of something lost
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the extraction of useful substances from waste
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the recovery of a space capsule after a space flight
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law
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the obtaining of a right, etc, by the judgment of a court
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(in the US) the final judgment or verdict in a case
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fencing a return to the position of guard after making an attack
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swimming rowing the action of bringing the arm, oar, etc, forward for another stroke
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golf a stroke played from the rough or a bunker to the fairway or green
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of recovery
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Anglo-French word recoverie. See recover, -y 3
Explanation
The noun recovery refers to the process of healing after an illness or injury. Your recovery from your broken leg will go quicker if you keep off the leg. Use your crutches and definitely no skiing or hopscotch! A recovery is when you save something that was lost, in danger of becoming lost, or retrieved. If something was taken from you, such as diamonds, money, or your dignity, and you get it back, you can say that you are glad for its recovery. The noun recovery also refers to a return to a natural or original state. After a devastating hurricane, an area's recovery may take many years.
Vocabulary lists containing recovery
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Economics
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The latest de-escalation is also yet to trigger a meaningful recovery in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, two critical arteries for global oil trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Last month, the Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir announced a series of measures for the Lough Neagh eel fishery, to ensure long-term recovery of stocks.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
After three replacement surgeries, she said, "I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
After completing medical evaluations at the landing site, the crew members will travel by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where recovery teams are stationed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
"This case has been cited as one of complete recovery ... without any impairment to the intellect," he says, but in truth, Phineas's personality changed drastically after the accident.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
California leads the nation in recoveries over that period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
By examining how koalas responded to earlier population crashes and recoveries, scientists may be able to develop better conservation strategies for protecting the species today.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
A team of Deutsche Bank strategists led by Binky Chadha share this chart showing second-quarter S&P 500 earnings-growth expectations at 26.2%, double the prior record going into an earnings season outside of recession recoveries.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Lukodu is optimistic that the recoveries will help build trust in the healthcare system as his hospital has been a target of violence connected to misinformation.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Later recoveries of banded birds showed that these Florida-born eagles range northward along the coast into Canada as far as Prince Edward Island, although they had previously been considered nonmigratory.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
