recycle
Americanverb (used with object)
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recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recycled,
past participle, past
-
recycling
present participle
-
to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse.
recycling paper to save trees.
-
to alter or adapt for new use without changing the essential form or nature of.
The old factory is being recycled as a theater.
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to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration.
The governor recycled some speeches from his early days.
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to cause to pass through a cycle again.
to recycle laundry through a washing machine.
verb (used without object)
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recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recycled,
past participle, past
-
recycling
present participle
-
to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.
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to undergo reuse or renewal; be subject to or suitable for further use, activity, etc..
The industry will recycle and become profitable once more.
noun
verb
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to pass (a substance) through a system again for further treatment or use
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to reclaim (packaging or products with a limited useful life) for further use
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to institute a different cycle of processes or events in (a machine, system, etc)
-
to repeat (a series of operations)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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recyclabilitynoun
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recyclernoun
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recyclistnoun
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nonrecyclableadjective
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recyclableadjective
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unrecycledadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recyclesimple
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recyclessimple
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have recycledperfect
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has recycledperfect
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am recyclingprogressive
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are recyclingprogressive
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is recyclingprogressive
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have been recyclingperfect progressive
-
has been recyclingperfect progressive
Past
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recycledsimple
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had recycledperfect
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was recyclingprogressive
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were recyclingprogressive
-
had been recyclingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recycle
Explanation
When you recycle something, you process it so it can be used again. You might recycle an old tire and make it into a snazzy black knapsack with some very cool skid marks. The prefix re- means again, and when you recycle something, you process it for another cycle of use. The phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle" gives you three ways to prevent waste. When you recycle plastic bottles, they’re melted down and made into new bottles or even furniture or clothing. You might do some creative recycling and turn your old textbooks into a coffee table. When you have your washing machine repeat the wash or rinse cycle, that’s a different recycle.
Vocabulary lists containing recycle
Natural Resources and the Environment - Introductory
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science: Natural Resources and the Environment
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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.
See Examples For:
It says you can recycle the cardboard frames so long as you separate them from the lenses, which are harder to recycle.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Their thick bark and elevated canopies offer protection, while smaller fires clear vegetation, recycle nutrients, and create conditions that help new sequoias grow.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
James Piper, co-host of the Talking Rubbish podcast, co-owner of Ecosurety, said he dislikes BuzzBallz because of how difficult they are to recycle.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Large language models comb popular texts, recycle them into new combinations, and send the repurposed product back to customers, who close the feedback loop with a click.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“I ride the bus with him,” Roy said, and decided to recycle Beatrice’s line one more time: “We’re doing a science project together.”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
The latest “Scary Movie,” which simply recycles the title “Scary Movie,” is as lazy, dumb and offensive as the others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Chile generates an average of 1.1 kilograms of garbage per person per day and recycles just 0.8 percent, according to the environment ministry.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The site recovers and recycles silver collected from a nearby site, Sigman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
The fine can be £100, but Mr Long said waste wardens prioritised promoting the Keeping Up With the Joneses campaign, created to ensure every household in Blaenau Gwent recycles.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025
He worked in the barbershop for a while, then got a job working for Free Venture, an environmentally certified nonprofit that refurbishes and recycles e-waste on-site.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Consumers already have options like paper products made from bamboo or recycled paper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
On its website, the company lists Tencel, recycled cotton and dead-stock fabrics as some of its preferred materials to meet its sustainability standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The mint also uses recycled silver, some of it extracted from old radios supplied by British hospitals.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
These challenges help explain why only 9% of discarded plastic is recycled.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Our track is made out of recycled tires, so it’s easier to run on than asphalt.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Pro tip: In the months leading up to the move, I also saved boxes from deliveries I received, instead of hauling them downstairs to the recycling bin.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
She said it is a "massive way of recycling", describing how families "come down with one size, hang it up and take the next size along".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
They were outraged about the lack of government accountability surrounding the closure of the Exide battery recycling plant in nearby Vernon that had contaminated thousands of homes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
If you have old tires sitting around, take them to a recycling center.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
I took the money and threw the cans into the recycling bin.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
