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recliner

American  
[ri-klahy-ner] / rɪˈklaɪ nər /

noun

  • recliners
    plural
  1. a person or thing that reclines.

  2. Also called reclining chair.  an easy chair with a back and footrest adjustable up or down to the comfort of the user.


recliner British  
/ rɪˈklaɪnə /

noun

  1. a type of armchair having a back that can be adjusted to slope at various angles and, usually, a leg rest

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of recliner

First recorded in 1660–70; recline + -er 1

Explanation

Have you ever sat in a chair that's designed to tip comfortably back, so you can lounge with your feet out on an attached footrest? It's called a recliner. A recliner is a cozy chair that you could also call a lounger. Many people have recliners in their TV rooms or dens, for especially comfy viewing. The trick of a recliner is right there in its name, recline, or "lie back in a relaxed position," from the Latin reclinare, "to bend or lean back." Recliners have been around since the 1800s, the most famous being the La-Z-Boy recliner, which was patented in 1928.

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Vocabulary lists containing recliner

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

And some have added other luxuries, like recliner seating and dining options.

From MarketWatch Aug. 3, 2026

It added that it had also bought a specialist maternity recliner chair for a new breastfeeding and infant feeding clinic at Pathways.

From BBC Aug. 3, 2026

His wife, the Rev. Raysa Vázquez, woke up every couple of hours and tended to Briany, sitting with her in the brown recliner in the living room, rocking her back to sleep.

From Salon Mar. 24, 2026

As an homage, Chan sculpted a recliner out of snow in front of his house.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 4, 2026

JP’s slumped in the recliner with a couple of pieces of dried fruit.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Americans using VR entertainment in 20 years will probably do so in futuristic recliners similar to those depicted in Pixar’s “WALL-E.”

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 23, 2026

For two years, he left Daniel’s room untouched, but the image of the empty bed tormented him, so Puerta replaced it with two recliners.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 5, 2025

But the billionaire's most luxurious planes were a pair of 737 jets he had retrofitted like a lounge, complete with recliners, love seats, mahogany dining and card tables and gourmet food.

From Salon Aug. 10, 2023

Over the last decade, theater operators have removed thousands of traditional seats and installed roomier recliners, reducing capacity.

From New York Times Sep. 4, 2022

The chairs were cushy recliners with thousand-finger massage, built-in headphones, and sword and drink holders for all your demigod kicking-back needs.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

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