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.

---

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

---

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

Loui is battling Kao in court to recover the millions he contends Kao stole from the company.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Employers, the committee wrote, hold a “jarring” skepticism about the current generation’s ability to handle workplace demands, solve problems without clear answers, and recover from setbacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Rates are likely higher than measured, because health systems across a continent were knocked out by the eruption and struggling to recover ten years later.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

A spokesperson said they were now "focused on working with our customers to recover their residual delays and help get their operations back to normal".

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Not only would McKee’s Marauders recover as many artifacts as possible, but they would attempt something never accomplished before; they would try to bring the entire Mary Rose to the surface.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

"His mental strength, tactical ability, the way he recovers the ball, the way he pressures, the way he plays up front, I am very happy."

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Courage is fear that’s said its prayers, son,” Bernadette tells John as he recovers from having his path derailed by a familiar spoiler.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

"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

My father looks momentarily stricken and then recovers himself, averting his glistening eyes and nodding.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Additionally, they recovered multiple animal remains from a freezer and a yard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

And though he has now recovered the full story, at the time, his memory had been wiped.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

The team reconstructed 26 genomes of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, from human remains recovered at 11 archaeological sites in Estonia, Russia, England, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

In July, China successfully recovered the first-stage booster from a Long March 10B rocket for the first time, marking a milestone toward its development of reusable rockets.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026

Ten weeks after the accident, Dr. Harlow declares Phineas fully recovered from his wounds.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Singapore operations are recovering, with bed occupancy rising above 52% in August and September compared with 51% in 2Q, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Even she probably can’t keep him from soon rescinding the ban and recovering his access to those sweet, sweet cameras.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

He has spent most of the past nine months recovering from the injury, while Van successfully defended his title once against Tatsuro Taira in May, winning by stoppage in the final round.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

"He acted instantly and he did everything right," a recovering Millroy told BBC Sport from his hospital bed in China.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

“I am recovering from a traumatic event,” said Granny in her new toothless voice.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo

Related Words

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