recycle

[ ree-sahy-kuhl ]

/ riˈsaɪ kəl /

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See synonyms for: recycle / recycled / recycling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

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), re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

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

the act or process of recycling.

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Origin of recycle

First recorded in 1925–30; re- + cycle

OTHER WORDS FROM recycle

re·cy·cla·ble, adjectivere·cy·cla·bil·i·ty, nounre·cy·cler, re·cy·clist, nounnon·re·cy·cla·ble, adjective

un·re·cy·cled, adjective

Words nearby recycle

recurve, recurved, recusancy, recusant, recuse, recycle, recycling, red, redact, redacted, redaction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use recycle in a sentence

The body should go pick up that can and carry it home to the recycle bin.
This Is How Your Brain Walks the Dog—a Dialogue - Facts So Romantic|Jim Davies|March 10, 2021|Nautilus
I mean, look, don’t put your turkey carcass in the recycle bin.
Jim Fish, CEO of Waste Management, on How the Pandemic Changed Garbage|Eben Shapiro|November 15, 2020|Time
We’ve also taken it upon ourselves to change the technology at our recycle plants.
Jim Fish, CEO of Waste Management, on How the Pandemic Changed Garbage|Eben Shapiro|November 15, 2020|Time
Most of us who recycle, we honestly are trying to put what’s recyclable in the recycle bin.
Jim Fish, CEO of Waste Management, on How the Pandemic Changed Garbage|Eben Shapiro|November 15, 2020|Time

What happens with this stuff that ultimately is not recyclable, it comes into a recycle plant, is it goes into this kind of contamination pile.
Jim Fish, CEO of Waste Management, on How the Pandemic Changed Garbage|Eben Shapiro|November 15, 2020|Time
But in the end, White's music doesn't just recycle these tropes—it transcends them.
Is Jack White the Last True Rock Star?|Andrew Romano|June 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, Keira Knightley was not the first to recycle her dress.
Here Comes the Bride…In Flaming Red: Two Centuries of Colorful Wedding Dresses|Liza Foreman|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They feature custom wallpaper, system sounds, and desktop icons for My Computer, Recycle Bin, and Network Neighborhood.
Homestar Runner, Trogdor the Burninator, and the Birth of the Internet|Rich Goldstein|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are about 30 billion in the world, and it is inefficient to recycle them.
Wood Cards Are a Green Alternative to the Classic Plastic Gift Card|Daniel Gross|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The EPA has a module on its site to help consumers donate or recycle their old devices.
ecoATM offers consumers a new way to sell used cell phones and electronic devices|Sarah Langs|September 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The effort to recycle (art or literature) is part of the same co-writing strategy.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for recycle

recycle

/ (riːˈsaɪkəl) /

verb (tr)

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

the repetition of a fixed sequence of events

Derived forms of recycle

recyclable or recycleable, adjective, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

recycle

Origin of recycle

OTHER WORDS FROM recycle

Words nearby recycle

Words related to recycle

How to use recycle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for recycle

Derived forms of recycle