recreation
Americannoun
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refreshment by means of some pastime, agreeable exercise, or the like.
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a pastime, diversion, exercise, or other resource affording relaxation and enjoyment.
noun
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refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and enjoyment
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an activity or pastime that promotes this
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an interval of free time between school lessons
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( as modifier )
recreation period
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recreation
1350–1400; Middle English recreacioun (< Middle French recreation ) < Latin recreātiōn- (stem of recreātiō ) restoration, recovery, equivalent to recreāt ( us ) ( see recreate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
The word recreation is a noun meaning just about anything you do for fun: bowling, flying a model airplane, or just swimming the English Channel. If you do it to relax, recharge your batteries, or just to amuse yourself, it's probably recreation. You might think by looking at the word that recreation means remaking something, and, in a sense you'd be right. A person involved in recreation is "re-creating" themselves. The whole point of recreation, as the original Latin word recreare implies, is to refresh and renew. After a week behind a desk, you might be feeling worn down and tired. A weekend of recreation will help bring you back to life. So get out there and do the things you love to do!
Vocabulary lists containing recreation
One Crazy Summer
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"Handle with Care"
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Sports and Hobbies
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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.
The report cited the example of a scam where an employee at a Hong Kong-based firm transferred £25m to fraudsters after a video call with a deepfake recreation of their boss.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Complimentary fly-fishing rods are available to checkout from the recreation team and off-site fly-fishing excursions start at $1,100.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Putnam wrote that as regular social engagement and recreation dwindled, so did participation in daily civic life.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
The U.S. could tackle loneliness on a policy level through parks and recreation, housing, transportation, healthcare and education.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
And when your dad takes you to the recreation center, no Pollard’s or Krispy Kreme afterward, understand?
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
