recycle
Americanverb (used with object)
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recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recycled,
past participle, past
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recycling
present participle
-
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.
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to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration.
The governor recycled some speeches from his early days.
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to cause to pass through a cycle again.
to recycle laundry through a washing machine.
verb (used without object)
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recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recycled,
past participle, past
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recycling
present participle
-
to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.
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to undergo reuse or renewal; be subject to or suitable for further use, activity, etc..
The industry will recycle and become profitable once more.
noun
verb
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to pass (a substance) through a system again for further treatment or use
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to reclaim (packaging or products with a limited useful life) for further use
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to institute a different cycle of processes or events in (a machine, system, etc)
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to repeat (a series of operations)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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recyclabilitynoun
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recyclernoun
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recyclistnoun
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nonrecyclableadjective
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recyclableadjective
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unrecycledadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recyclesimple
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recyclessimple
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have recycledperfect
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has recycledperfect
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am recyclingprogressive
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are recyclingprogressive
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is recyclingprogressive
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have been recyclingperfect progressive
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has been recyclingperfect progressive
Past
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recycledsimple
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had recycledperfect
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was recyclingprogressive
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were recyclingprogressive
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had been recyclingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recycle
Explanation
When you recycle something, you process it so it can be used again. You might recycle an old tire and make it into a snazzy black knapsack with some very cool skid marks. The prefix re- means again, and when you recycle something, you process it for another cycle of use. The phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle" gives you three ways to prevent waste. When you recycle plastic bottles, they’re melted down and made into new bottles or even furniture or clothing. You might do some creative recycling and turn your old textbooks into a coffee table. When you have your washing machine repeat the wash or rinse cycle, that’s a different recycle.
Vocabulary lists containing recycle
Natural Resources and the Environment - Introductory
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science: Natural Resources and the Environment
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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:
It says you can recycle the cardboard frames so long as you separate them from the lenses, which are harder to recycle.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
According to Recycle Now, which advises on appropriate places to recycle items, the glasses are not wholly recyclable in your household waste.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“We cannot maintain the business model of constant consumption and constant growth and recycle our way out of the problem—we have to produce and consume fewer things,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Their thick bark and elevated canopies offer protection, while smaller fires clear vegetation, recycle nutrients, and create conditions that help new sequoias grow.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
I even sweep up a napkin and two spoons on the floor so the recycle area looks really good when I’m done.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
The latest “Scary Movie,” which simply recycles the title “Scary Movie,” is as lazy, dumb and offensive as the others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Chile generates an average of 1.1 kilograms of garbage per person per day and recycles just 0.8 percent, according to the environment ministry.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The site recovers and recycles silver collected from a nearby site, Sigman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
With support from the Welsh government, it recycles 60 million nappies in Wales annually.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
He worked in the barbershop for a while, then got a job working for Free Venture, an environmentally certified nonprofit that refurbishes and recycles e-waste on-site.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
It includes removing a book's spine so all the pages can be scanned rapidly - and the remains recycled.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Consumers already have options like paper products made from bamboo or recycled paper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The mint also uses recycled silver, some of it extracted from old radios supplied by British hospitals.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
These challenges help explain why only 9% of discarded plastic is recycled.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
I got a notebook, handmade paper, and pencils made from recycled scraps.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
Pro tip: In the months leading up to the move, I also saved boxes from deliveries I received, instead of hauling them downstairs to the recycling bin.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
"It's great places like the recycling centres take clothing, but that doesn't go back to families again," Bex said.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Unable to find work or pay to see a doctor, he has resorted to recycling cans and bottles to support himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Those materials can be recovered from black mass through recycling processes such as chemical processing or smelting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Even if George put them directly into the recycling can outside, someone might notice them.
From "George" by Alex Gino
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.
