recliner

American  

[ri-klahy-ner] / rɪˈklaɪ nər /

noun

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.

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

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

Sitting in a recliner in his library, he’d grab green Value Line binders from a nearby desk and pore through data on publicly traded companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

These days, he’s more the “disturbed and declining grandpa who won’t leave his recliner and has us all vaguely concerned but mostly trying not to get involved.”

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2024

Inside his ramshackle Westside home, Wally gingerly positioned his bony frame sideways on an armrest of his recliner and played the role of raconteur, narrating remarkable stories about our lineage.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2024

She flopped down with a soft groan in their battered recliner and rubbed her face.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Related Words

• bench
• chair
• couch