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

He’s been called the godfather of farmland groundwater recharge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 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

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

When the 587th Regiment finally went to war, most of its tail gunners were men, because the machine guns in the Pe-2s required so much strength to recharge.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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

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

The man who enjoys his work requires less time for recreation and exercise, for his enjoyment recharges the storage battery of energy.

From Increasing Human Efficiency in Business, a contribution to the psychology of business by Walter Dill Scott

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

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 Special who’d instructed her had explained that it needed as much surface area in the sun as possible while it recharged.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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

This is about recharging and being immersed in my culture.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 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

Czerny seemed to be recharging her soul by running through a list of mundane errands.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• refresh
• regenerate
• rejuvenate

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