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

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Etymology

Origin of recharge

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

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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

If he somehow finds a miraculous recharge for his ring, he will use his superpower to foment further revenge and retribution.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Semi comes in two versions, Standard Range and Long Range, with the latter able to travel about 500 miles before needing to recharge its battery.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

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

So that people can understand why the drivers have been upset this year, what is it about these hybrid engines, and the need to recharge the batteries, that detracts from the best drivers' abilities?

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

The whole building felt asleep like the Institute itself needed to recharge.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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

Building sand dams on these rivers, where people can scoop the sand to fetch the water or use hand pumps, helps minimize water loss through evaporation and recharges groundwater.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2024

Of course your Skin recharges itself and the next time you eat fish it shocks you again.

From Rastignac the Devil by Philip José Farmer

"Over the summer I rested, I recharged and, yeah, I'm ready and I'm hungry," Palmer, who is now just two goals away from 50 in the Premier League, told Sky Sports.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

This year, drought has not developed as quickly because heavy rainfall recharged our aquifers, rivers and reservoirs during a very wet autumn and winter.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Aluminum-air batteries have off-the-charts storage capacity but can’t be recharged.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

The truck-batteries were recharged, a new shift of drivers took over, and we went on.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Besides his unconventional path to becoming a Green Lantern, Stewart is in possession of a unique lantern for recharging his ring that was forged by Sinestro, Jordan’s disgraced mentor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

In the comics, Green Lanterns are known for their oaths, which they recite when recharging their rings or to reaffirm their commitment to the group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Porsche quotes a minimum recharging time of 16 minutes, from 10-80% capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Russell lost that place because he hit the harvest limit early, which meant he was not recharging into the chicane so had less energy for the restart.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026

The solar cells of the recharging hoverboards were blindingly bright in the sun.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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Related Words

• refresh
• regenerate
• rejuvenate

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