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.
John Storino, an attorney representing Simmons and other defendants, called the amended lawsuit a “recycled version of claims the court has already rejected.”
From Los Angeles Times
Two students built beehives in someone’s backyard, using recycled materials, and they planted all kinds of bee-friendly flowers.
From Literature
Globally, less than 1% of the rare-earth metals in expired technology gets recycled, according to a report published last year by the United Nations.
Buying stocks in the rest of the world, as fewer cash flows are recycled into the U.S., makes sense to Muir and his bearish stance on the dollar reinforces the opinion.
From MarketWatch
Its zero product uses recycled steel and fossil-free energy, which enables it to produce steel with virtually zero fossil carbon emissions.
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.
