adjective
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lying down; reclining
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(of a part or organ) leaning or resting against another organ or the ground
a recumbent stem
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(of a fold in a rock formation) in which the axial plane is nearly horizontal
Other Word Forms
- recumbence noun
- recumbency noun
- recumbently adverb
- unrecumbent adjective
- unrecumbently adverb
Etymology
Origin of recumbent
1765–75; < Latin recumbent- (stem of recumbēns ), present participle of recumbere to lie back, equivalent to re- re- + cumb-, akin to cubāre to lie down + -ent- -ent
Explanation
Bikes on which you recline rather than sit upright are recumbent. Recumbent means leaning back in a reclining position. Recumbent starts like recline, which is an easy way to remember it. Your dad's position in his favorite La-Z-Boy reclining chair? Recumbent. Your position when you lay back on lounge chair at the pool? Also recumbent — and in both cases, these are both positions of comfort.
Vocabulary lists containing recumbent
Of Mice and Men
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"Of Mice and Men"
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And Then There Were None
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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 bespectacled local celebrity seemingly has it together — riding his recumbent bike to and from work each day, drinking healthy green juices, playing board games with his family on the weekends.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
A tiny chalk drawing of a recumbent lion by Rembrandt sold for $17.9 million on Wednesday, the latest sign that the art market is roaring back following a yearslong slump.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
After class, he hangs around in the small gym adjacent to the activity room and rides the recumbent bike.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025
As we made our way along the buttery-smooth pavement of the recently extended Chief Ladiga trail, our group passed an older rider on a recumbent bicycle.
From Slate • Aug. 31, 2025
Overjoyed at hearing civilized speech again, Abel ran over to the recumbent frog and looked down at him, beaming with candid delight.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
