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.
This recycled phosphorus fuels even more plankton growth, whose decay further depletes oxygen and keeps nutrients circulating.
From Science Daily
It is a conundrum facing many fast-growing economies, where plastic use and disposal has outpaced the government's ability to collect, sort and recycle.
From Barron's
Moisture that comes from land, often referred to as recycled rainfall, is created when water evaporates from nearby soils and vegetation, fueling more localized storms.
From Science Daily
Here’s the math: Regulators tell fabs they need to recycle more water and hit tighter purity standards.
From MarketWatch
Understanding those impurities better could help improve recycled forms of the metal.
From BBC
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.
