recycle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
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)
-
recycles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recycled,
past participle, past
-
recycling
present participle
-
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
verb
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
recyclabilitynoun
-
recyclernoun
-
recyclistnoun
-
nonrecyclableadjective
-
recyclableadjective
-
unrecycledadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recyclesimple
-
recyclessimple
-
have recycledperfect
-
has recycledperfect
-
am recyclingprogressive
-
are recyclingprogressive
-
is recyclingprogressive
-
have been recyclingperfect progressive
-
has been recyclingperfect progressive
Past
-
recycledsimple
-
had recycledperfect
-
was recyclingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Earth Science - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Earth Science: Natural Resources and the Environment
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"I don't recycle as much when I am out and about, I just bin it," admits Gerwyn Pugh, 56, from Barry.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Yet governments have increasingly pushed citizens to recycle paper, glass and plastics worth less than the cost of collecting and processing them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
But he left an indelible mark on the environment, authoring legislation offering incentives to recycle, limiting advertisers’ inflated claims about products’ environmental benefits and combating water and air pollution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
PVC is especially challenging to recycle because it contains chlorine and can include a wide range of additives depending on how it was manufactured.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
My father always says she only works to feed our family’s book addiction and that we’d be further ahead financially if she collected aluminum cans from the side of the freeway to recycle.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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
Oklo’s Pluto reactor, selected by the Energy Department, recycles nuclear waste and aims for commercial power by late 2027.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 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
Natalie James, 47, said she recycled "probably about the same" at work and at home.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Roughly half the waste ends up incinerated, 38% digested and 12% recycled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Almost anything can be recycled if you throw enough money and energy at it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
An estimated100 gallons of water are used each performance; it exits through a drainage system on the floor and is then recycled for the following show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
To help fund the war effort, the Hitler Youth went door-to-door, collecting brass, copper, scrap metal, razor blades, paper, and bottles to be recycled.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Humus is the upper layer of soil rich in decomposing organic matter, where microorganisms play a major role in recycling nutrients.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
It conflates European recycling systems with the market-based infrastructure that drives recycling in the U.S. and misses a more important question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
America also needs clear, consistent rules that make recycling as easy as possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Access to recycling programs varies, and what is recyclable in one state can be different in another state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
“If you need magazines, check the recycling bin.”
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
