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

So it’s understandable they would need to recharge by getting away from Washington from time to time.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 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

I don’t know how other people do it—don’t they ever feel like they need to recharge?

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

At lower speeds, as in city traffic, you begin to hear the engine’s whispered revving in the perceptual background as it simultaneously propels the car and recharges the 22.7-kWh battery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

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

Regenerative braking in EVs, which recharges the battery, does not involve friction.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025

The wetland attracts birds, such as coots and tricolored blackbirds, and also recharges the aquifer that the roots of cottonwoods and willows tap into.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2024

While cruising on the surface a submarine recharges her storage batteries to give her motive power when she is submerged.

From Tom Swift and His Undersea Search, or, the Treasure on the Floor of the Atlantic by Victor [pseud.] Appleton

Instead, it reveals how a magma reservoir can be recharged over thousands of years, an important process that scientists need to understand before they can reliably assess the long-term behavior of supervolcanoes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

"It recharged her and made her feel better," McVey said.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

He was taking a class on air conditioning systems, and his vehicle’s AC needed to be recharged.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026

It was a good bull, a big bull, and with horns, and it turned and recharged easily and surely.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

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

And I think the electric side is going to be a lot less big in Monaco, just because we'll be recharging quite a bit with all the corners that there are.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

Battery recharging is often necessary by coasting on straightaways.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

Other agencies are recharging aquifers at dozens of sites across California and are building more facilities to replenish groundwater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026

"My genius powers are recharging," Max declares as she brushes the crumbs from her lap.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

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Related Words

• refresh
• regenerate
• rejuvenate

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