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

Etymology

Origin of recharge

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

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

"That's how I recharge, and I feel very proud of myself for being independent and doing things alone… I think it's something that should be celebrated."

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Intense rainfall may fall in the wrong locations, run off too quickly, or fail to recharge the systems that sustain the lakes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

It means she's had to find ways to recharge throughout a weekend - such as returning to her tent for a break.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

They’re useful for remote military applications, where soldiers can use them to recharge an ever-growing array of electronic devices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

To Isidore he said, “What did you do, try to recharge its battery? Or locate a short in it?”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

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

Then it stays bare through July while capillarity somewhat recharges the soil.

From Gardening Without Irrigation: or without much, anyway by Steve Solomon

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

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

Something that stopped being effective suddenly emerges recharged and presto!

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Energy recovery and deployment are central to performance with engines that are served of electrical energy, and the battery is depleted and recharged on virtually every straight.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 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

“He was smart, the way he recharged his pterodactyl’s battery.”

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

The second sector - of which Pouhon is the highlight - is used for recharging so the battery is full again for the long run from Stavelot to the final chicane.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 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

The distance that electric trucks can travel without recharging can be drastically cut when towing heavy loads or operating in less ideal conditions, such as cold weather.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 29, 2025

“I’ll leave the keys with you. Can you bring them downstairs when you’re finished today? I think I need to rest my head at home. A little bit of recharging will do me good.”

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Related Words

• refresh
• regenerate
• rejuvenate