recycle
Americanverb (used with object)
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recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
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recycled,
past participle, past
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recycling
present participle
-
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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recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recycled,
past participle, past
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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)
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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
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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
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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:
“This transaction allows us to efficiently recycle capital, strengthen our balance sheet and maintain financial flexibility, while advancing a strong pipeline of high-returning growth opportunities,” said Enbridge Chief Financial Officer Pat Murray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“To the extent they accumulate rather than recycle supply back into the market, the bitcoin available to meet new demand tightens,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
“We cannot maintain the business model of constant consumption and constant growth and recycle our way out of the problem—we have to produce and consume fewer things,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
I tore off the front of the cards and saved them so I could recycle them for this year.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
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
With support from the Welsh government, it recycles 60 million nappies in Wales annually.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
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
The share of renewable and recycled materials bought and used to make the colourful plastic bricks continues to grow, Lego said, without providing specific numbers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Many American shoppers find current alternatives to traditional wood fiber in paper-based products—mainly bamboo and recycled paper—too rough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 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
These challenges help explain why only 9% of discarded plastic is recycled.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
His recycled sandwich resembled a rubber band squashed in lint.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
When disposable vape cartridges are put in garbage or recycling bins, they can be crushed by garbage trucks and sorting equipment at waste facilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
She took a ride on the Magic School Bus in 1996 to stress the importance of recycling and environmental conservation.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Over the past two decades, Sin City has cut its water consumption by a third, by promoting wastewater recycling and restricting lawn watering and swimming pool sizes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
As long as the AI companies are recycling the books after scanning them, Floreani said he doesn’t have much problem with their activities—provided they aren’t violating intellectual property rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
I crumple the picture and toss it into the recycling.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
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.
