recover

[ri-kuhv-er]

verb (used with object)

to get back or regain (something lost or taken away): to recover a stolen watch.
to make up for or make good (loss, damage, etc., to oneself).
to regain the strength, composure, balance, or the like, of (oneself).

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.
to reclaim from a bad state, practice, etc.
to regain (a substance) in usable form, as from refuse material or from a waste product or by-product of manufacture; reclaim.
Military. to return (a weapon) to a previously held position in the manual of arms.
Football. to gain or regain possession of (a fumble): They recovered the ball on their own 20-yard line.

verb (used without object)

to regain health after being sick, wounded, or the like (often followed by from): to recover from an illness.
to regain a former and better state or condition: The city soon recovered from the effects of the earthquake.
to regain one's strength, composure, balance, etc.
Law. to obtain a favorable judgment in a suit for something.
Football. to gain or regain possession of a fumble: The Giants recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.
to make a recovery in fencing or rowing.

Origin of recover

1300–50; Middle English recoveren < Middle French recoverer < Latin recuperāre to regain, recuperate

Related formsre·cov·er·er, noun

Can be confusedre-cover recover

Synonyms for recover

1. 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. 9. heal, mend, recuperate; rally.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for recover-from

recover

verb

(tr) to find again or obtain the return of (something lost)
to regain (loss of money, position, time, etc); recoup
(of a person) to regain (health, spirits, composure, etc), as after illness, a setback, or a shock, etc
to regain (a former and usually better condition)industry recovered after the war
law
1. (tr)to gain (something) by the judgment of a court of lawto recover damages
2. (intr)to succeed in a lawsuit
(tr) to obtain (useful substances) from waste
(intr) (in fencing, swimming, rowing, etc) to make a recovery

Derived Formsrecoverable, adjectiverecoverability, nounrecoverer, noun

Word Origin for recover

C14: from Old French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre recuperate

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

Word Origin and History for recover-from

recover

c.1300, "to regain consciousness," from Anglo-French rekeverer (13c.), Old French recovrer "come back, return; regain health; procure, get again" (11c.), from Medieval Latin recuperare "to recover" (source of Spanish recobrar, Italian ricoverare; see recuperation). Meaning "to regain health or strength" is from early 14c.; sense of "to get (anything) back" is first attested mid-14c. Related: Recovered; recovering.