recycle

[ree-sahy-kuh l]

verb (used with object), re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

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.

to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration: The governor recycled some speeches from his early days.

to cause to pass through a cycle again: to recycle laundry through a washing machine.

verb (used without object), re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.

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

the act or process of recycling.

Origin of recycle

First recorded in 1925–30; re- + cycle

Related formsre·cy·cla·ble, adjectivere·cy·cla·bil·i·ty, nounre·cy·cler, re·cy·clist, nounnon·re·cy·cla·ble, adjectiveun·re·cy·cled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recyclable

Contemporary Examples of recyclable

The prototypes are built from a recyclable flat foam-rubber called ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
Origami Shoe Design to Revolutionize Footwear
Nina Strochlic
September 20, 2013
China has stopped taking thousands of tons of recyclable trash from the U.S., which could mean huge garbage back-ups for cities.
Is China’s Junk Appetite Declining?
Miranda Green
May 9, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for recyclable

recycle

verb (tr)

to pass (a substance) through a system again for further treatment or use

to reclaim (packaging or products with a limited useful life) for further use

to institute a different cycle of processes or events in (a machine, system, etc)

to repeat (a series of operations)

noun

the repetition of a fixed sequence of events

Derived Formsrecyclable or recycleable, adjective, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for recyclable

adj.

1971, from recycle + -able. As a noun, by 1973. Related: Recyclables.

recycle

1922, originally of industrial processes; see re- + cycle (v.). Specifically of waste material from 1960. Related: Recycled; recycling.