recycle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse.
recycling paper to save trees.
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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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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)
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to repeat (a series of operations)
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonrecyclable adjective
- recyclability noun
- recyclable adjective
- recycler noun
- recyclist noun
- unrecycled adjective
Etymology
Origin of recycle
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.
Items that are not suitable for donation could be re-gifted for birthdays, sold online, recycled or exchanged where possible, she suggested.
From BBC
Viewers don’t just want pretty celebrities, powerful superheroes and recycled ideas; they want truly memorable shared experiences.
From Salon
Most London boroughs have schemes where trees can be recycled to reduce the number going to landfill.
From BBC
Stores can offer recycled paper bags or customers can bring in their own bags.
From Los Angeles Times
She clusters recycled textiles, found items, donated castoffs and gemstones to create handmade wearable art that she describes as “science bohemian.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
