recover

American  

[ri-kuhv-er] / rɪˈkʌv ər /

verb (used with object)

• recovers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recovered,
  past participle,  past
• recovering
  present participle

1. to get back or regain (something lost or taken away).

   to recover a stolen watch.

2. to make up for or make good (loss, damage, etc., to oneself ).

3. to regain the strength, composure, balance, or the like, of (oneself ).

4. Law.

   1. to obtain by judgment in a court of law, or by legal proceedings.

      to recover damages for a wrong.

   2. to acquire title to through judicial process.

      to recover land.

5. to reclaim from a bad state, practice, etc.

6. to regain (a substance) in usable form, as from refuse material or from a waste product or by-product of manufacture; reclaim.

7. Military. to return (a weapon) to a previously held position in the manual of arms.

8. Football. to gain or regain possession of (a fumble).

   They recovered the ball on their own 20-yard line.

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verb (used without object)

• recovers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recovered,
  past participle,  past
• recovering
  present participle

1. to regain health after being sick, wounded, or the like (often followed byfrom ).

   to recover from an illness.

   Synonyms:

   rally, recuperate, mend, heal

2. to regain a former and better state or condition.

   The city soon recovered from the effects of the earthquake.

3. to regain one's strength, composure, balance, etc.

4. Law. to obtain a favorable judgment in a suit for something.

5. Football. to gain or regain possession of a fumble.

   The Giants recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

6. to make a recovery in fencing or rowing.

recover British  

/ rɪˈkʌvə /

verb

1. (tr) to find again or obtain the return of (something lost)

2. to regain (loss of money, position, time, etc); recoup

3. (of a person) to regain (health, spirits, composure, etc), as after illness, a setback, or a shock, etc

4. to regain (a former and usually better condition)

   industry recovered after the war

5. law

   1. (tr) to gain (something) by the judgment of a court of law

      to recover damages

   2. (intr) to succeed in a lawsuit

6. (tr) to obtain (useful substances) from waste

7. (intr) (in fencing, swimming, rowing, etc) to make a recovery

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Synonym Usage

Recover, reclaim, retrieve are to regain literally or figuratively something or someone. To recover is to obtain again what one has lost possession of: to recover a stolen jewel. To reclaim is to bring back from error or wrongdoing, or from a rude or undeveloped state: to reclaim desert land by irrigation. To retrieve is to bring back or restore, especially something to its former, prosperous state: to retrieve one's fortune.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recoverability
  noun
• recoverer
  noun
• recoverable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• recovering
  present
• recovered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• recover
  simple
• recovers
  simple
• have recovered
  perfect
• has recovered
  perfect
• am recovering
  progressive
• are recovering
  progressive
• is recovering
  progressive
• have been recovering
  perfect progressive
• has been recovering
  perfect progressive

Past

• recovered
  simple
• had recovered
  perfect
• was recovering
  progressive
• were recovering
  progressive
• had been recovering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will recover
  simple
• will have recovered
  perfect
• will be recovering
  progressive
• will have been recovering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of recover

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English recoveren, from Middle French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre “to regain”; see origin at recuperate

Explanation

To recover something is to get it back. After you lose your watch, you might recover it from the wastebasket. The re- in recover is a clue that this word has "again" as part of its meaning. We can only recover things that we had before. Often, this word applies to health. Someone who is sick needs to recover — when they're totally recovered, they're all better. If the stock market crashes, it needs to recover — this happens when the market is healthier and money is flowing again. It's good to recover, but it means something bad happened in the first place.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recover recovers recovered recovering

Their analysis suggests this will see bitcoin recover to a previous all-time high of $125,000 by the end of 2026, $200,000 by mid-2027 and a higher peak of $500,000 by 2029.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Lively sought to recover more than $8 million in attorneys’ fees and other expenses, which Baldoni’s lawyers argued was so inflated the court should deny the claim altogether or substantially reduce it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The settlement preserved Lively’s effort to recover attorneys’ fees under Section 47.1.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

SpaceX plans to recover both fairing sections after they return to Earth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

“I apologize for doing it...as I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant, but as I said, you’ll recover quickly. Meanwhile, I believe it is time to find my granddaughter.”

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

"We need God's grace to see if he recovers because it was bad," said the voice note shared with AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

“If it recovers it could be a sign of stronger overall sentiment for the index.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Huckaby-Budds said having paid parental leave was a crucial benefit as well, as she recovers from an unplanned caesarean section and her husband has limited parental leave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade says she has been working as a delivery driver to earn extra money while she recovers from injury.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The spirit recovers quickly, then comes at me again in a hurricane of anger.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Nepali police have recovered 270 bodies, but search operations continue.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Passenger flights remained relatively low for many years, but have recovered recently with Ryanair expanding its routes to European destinations.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Genetic material recovered from the historic museum specimen settled the question.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

After authorities safely recovered Hilton, he was placed in a 72-hour hold under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for detention to assess mental health.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Curators at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where all the recovered items were taken, were also captivated by the many delicate objects that Kontos and his men were able to salvage intact.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

After recovering from the life-threatening illness, Hilton made the decision to relocate his family to Miami in June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Shares of Carvana, a Walter investment, fell sharply before recovering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Since troughing around $4000 per ounce at the end of July, the price of gold had been recovering steadily.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

She says: "Each meal I'm having there's a reason behind and everything that's in it there's a reason behind... I know what I'm putting in my body is fuelling me, recovering me, energising me."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

After Grandpa was home and recovering, Grandma went looking for the white mare.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Related Words

• bounce back
• gain
• grow
• heal
• increase
• overcome
• pick up
• rebound
• recuperate
• restore
• revive