recycle

American  

[ree-sahy-kuhl] / riˈsaɪ kəl /

verb (used with object)

recycled, recycling

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.

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verb (used without object)

recycled, recycling

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 British  

/ 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)

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noun

1. the repetition of a fixed sequence of events

Other Word Forms

• nonrecyclable adjective
• recyclability noun
• recyclable adjective
• recycler noun
• recyclist noun
• unrecycled adjective

Etymology

Origin of recycle

First recorded in 1925–30; re- + cycle

Example Sentences

IPZS, which declined to comment, made the medals using recycled materials recovered from its own production waste.

From The Wall Street Journal

He covers the intersection of public and private companies and their customers in supply chains, recycled commodity markets and industrial transportation networks.

From The Wall Street Journal

The artwork was from an artist who creates sculptures of little monsters out of recycled metal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Together, these organisms determine how carbon is stored and recycled in the ocean, and treating them as a single group can oversimplify the ocean's response to climate pressures.

From Science Daily

Under EU rules, single use plastic bottles need to contain at least 25 percent of recycled plastic -- with the share set to increase to 30 percent by 2030.

From Barron's

Related Words

• convert