recline

[ ri-klahyn ]

/ rɪˈklaɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recline ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), re·clined, re·clin·ing.

to lean or lie back; rest in a recumbent position.

verb (used with object), re·clined, re·clin·ing.

to cause to lean back on something; place in a recumbent position.

Nearby words

reclamation, reclassify, reclearance, reclinate, reclination, recline, recliner, reclosable, recluse, reclusion, reco-reco

Origin of recline

1375–1425; late Middle English reclinen < Latin reclīnāre, equivalent to re- re- + clīnāre to lean¹

Related forms

re·clin·a·ble, adjectiverec·li·na·tion

[rek-luh-ney-shuh n] /ˌrɛk ləˈneɪ ʃən/, nounhalf-re·clined, adjectivehalf-re·clin·ing, adjective

un·re·clined, adjectiveun·re·clin·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recline

The incidents have sparked wide debate about whether passengers should opt to recline at all.
Solution to Seat Rage: No More Reclining|Will Doig|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But of course someone always will recline her seat, like the people in the first row, or the woman in front of me, whom I hate.
Should People Stop Reclining Their Seats?|Megan McArdle|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner.
Scottish Ghost Stories|Elliott O'Donnell
May it be the lot of my foes to sleep in the couch of solitude, and to recline their limbs outstretched in the midst of the bed.
The Amores, or Amours|Ovid

"My health requires that I should recline for a certain number of hours every day," he explained.
Bat Wing|Sax Rohmer
They wrap themselves in huge fur coats and all have sofa cushions to recline on.
Pipefuls|Christopher Morley
It was so arranged that Sybil Jones could recline, being then far from well.
Eli and Sibyl Jones|Rufus Matthew Jones

British Dictionary definitions for recline

recline

/ (rɪˈklaɪn) /

verb

to rest or cause to rest in a leaning position

Derived Forms

reclinable, adjectivereclination (ˌrɛklɪˈneɪʃən), noun

Word Origin for recline

C15: from Old French recliner, from Latin reclīnāre to lean back, from re- + clīnāre to lean 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012