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.
Invented in the 1960s, jet skis ushered in either a glorious era in human recreation or an ongoing tragedy of our watery commons, depending on who you ask.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
When temperatures soar, the city’s recreation centers welcome residents who lack air conditioning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
This does not include lands subject to significant extractive uses, like logging or mining, or disruptive recreation activities, like OHV off-road driving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
“With endless opportunities for relaxation and recreation, this home is truly one-of-a-kind,” the listing concludes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
When the prayers end and the doors open the Bells hit center stage and the curtain opens up on the afternoon pick-up game in the gym at the county recreation center.
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.
