recycle

[ ree-sahy-kuhl ]

verb (used with object)

, re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

1. to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse:

   recycling paper to save trees.

2. to alter or adapt for new use without changing the essential form or nature of:

   The old factory is being recycled as a theater.

3. to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration:

   The governor recycled some speeches from his early days.

4. 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.

1. to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.
2. 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

1. the act or process of recycling.

recycle

/ riːˈsaɪkəl /

verb

1. to pass (a substance) through a system again for further treatment or use
2. to reclaim (packaging or products with a limited useful life) for further use
3. to institute a different cycle of processes or events in (a machine, system, etc)
4. to repeat (a series of operations)

noun

1. the repetition of a fixed sequence of events

Derived Forms

• reˈcyclable, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• re·cycla·ble adjective
• re·cycla·bili·ty noun
• re·cycler re·cyclist noun
• nonre·cycla·ble adjective
• unre·cycled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recycle¹

First recorded in 1925–30; re- + cycle

Example Sentences

The body should go pick up that can and carry it home to the recycle bin.

From Nautilus

I mean, look, don’t put your turkey carcass in the recycle bin.

From Time

Most of us who recycle, we honestly are trying to put what’s recyclable in the recycle bin.

From Time

We’ve also taken it upon ourselves to change the technology at our recycle plants.

From Time

What happens with this stuff that ultimately is not recyclable, it comes into a recycle plant, is it goes into this kind of contamination pile.

From Time

But in the end, White's music doesn't just recycle these tropes—it transcends them.

From The Daily Beast

Meanwhile, Keira Knightley was not the first to recycle her dress.

From The Daily Beast

They feature custom wallpaper, system sounds, and desktop icons for My Computer, Recycle Bin, and Network Neighborhood.

From The Daily Beast

There are about 30 billion in the world, and it is inefficient to recycle them.

From The Daily Beast

The EPA has a module on its site to help consumers donate or recycle their old devices.

From The Daily Beast

The effort to recycle (art or literature) is part of the same co-writing strategy.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• convert