recover

American  

[ri-kuhv-er] / rɪˈkʌv ər /

verb (used with object)

• recovers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recovered,
  past participle,  past
• recovering
  present participle

1. to get back or regain (something lost or taken away).

   to recover a stolen watch.

2. to make up for or make good (loss, damage, etc., to oneself ).

3. to regain the strength, composure, balance, or the like, of (oneself ).

4. Law.

   1. to obtain by judgment in a court of law, or by legal proceedings.

      to recover damages for a wrong.

   2. to acquire title to through judicial process.

      to recover land.

5. to reclaim from a bad state, practice, etc.

6. to regain (a substance) in usable form, as from refuse material or from a waste product or by-product of manufacture; reclaim.

7. Military. to return (a weapon) to a previously held position in the manual of arms.

8. Football. to gain or regain possession of (a fumble).

   They recovered the ball on their own 20-yard line.

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verb (used without object)

• recovers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• recovered,
  past participle,  past
• recovering
  present participle

1. to regain health after being sick, wounded, or the like (often followed byfrom ).

   to recover from an illness.

   Synonyms:

   rally, recuperate, mend, heal

2. to regain a former and better state or condition.

   The city soon recovered from the effects of the earthquake.

3. to regain one's strength, composure, balance, etc.

4. Law. to obtain a favorable judgment in a suit for something.

5. Football. to gain or regain possession of a fumble.

   The Giants recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

6. to make a recovery in fencing or rowing.

recover British  

/ rɪˈkʌvə /

verb

1. (tr) to find again or obtain the return of (something lost)

2. to regain (loss of money, position, time, etc); recoup

3. (of a person) to regain (health, spirits, composure, etc), as after illness, a setback, or a shock, etc

4. to regain (a former and usually better condition)

   industry recovered after the war

5. law

   1. (tr) to gain (something) by the judgment of a court of law

      to recover damages

   2. (intr) to succeed in a lawsuit

6. (tr) to obtain (useful substances) from waste

7. (intr) (in fencing, swimming, rowing, etc) to make a recovery

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Synonym Usage

Recover, reclaim, retrieve are to regain literally or figuratively something or someone. To recover is to obtain again what one has lost possession of: to recover a stolen jewel. To reclaim is to bring back from error or wrongdoing, or from a rude or undeveloped state: to reclaim desert land by irrigation. To retrieve is to bring back or restore, especially something to its former, prosperous state: to retrieve one's fortune.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recoverability
  noun
• recoverer
  noun
• recoverable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• recovering
  present
• recovered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• recover
  simple
• recovers
  simple
• have recovered
  perfect
• has recovered
  perfect
• am recovering
  progressive
• are recovering
  progressive
• is recovering
  progressive
• have been recovering
  perfect progressive
• has been recovering
  perfect progressive

Past

• recovered
  simple
• had recovered
  perfect
• was recovering
  progressive
• were recovering
  progressive
• had been recovering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will recover
  simple
• will have recovered
  perfect
• will be recovering
  progressive
• will have been recovering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of recover

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English recoveren, from Middle French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre “to regain”; see origin at recuperate

Explanation

To recover something is to get it back. After you lose your watch, you might recover it from the wastebasket. The re- in recover is a clue that this word has "again" as part of its meaning. We can only recover things that we had before. Often, this word applies to health. Someone who is sick needs to recover — when they're totally recovered, they're all better. If the stock market crashes, it needs to recover — this happens when the market is healthier and money is flowing again. It's good to recover, but it means something bad happened in the first place.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recover recovers recovered recovering

Do you know of, or can you suggest, what recourse I have to recover these funds?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

That could allow scientists to recover useful details that would be impossible to identify using ordinary electron counting alone.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Joly has threatened to launch a lawsuit against Stellantis, for failing to follow through with the Jeep Compass production, and vowed to recover the millions of dollars that governments provided to the car maker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Hodgkinson, who took the decision to miss the Diamond League Final to allow her body to recover from her efforts in chasing Werro in Birmingham, claimed a comfortable victory in one minute 57.57 seconds.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Do not worry, hermanica. You will have plenty of time to rest and recover your strength. We are not leaving for a while!”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

While the 28-year-old Tagovailoa may no longer be the player who once led the league in passing yards, he could prove useful for the Falcons, especially as Michael Penix Jr. recovers from a knee injury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

“Courage is fear that’s said its prayers, son,” Bernadette tells John as he recovers from having his path derailed by a familiar spoiler.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

"We need God's grace to see if he recovers because it was bad," said the voice note shared with AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

He believes it will take three to fours years before the vegetation recovers, adding: "It will be a long, long road and there is not a lot we can do hasten that recovery."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

She’s touched before she recovers enough to parry.

From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Under center, Guess fumbled the snap and Centennial recovered the ball in the end zone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

The sunken helicopter had been "damaged beyond repair" and was recovered from the seabed in two major sections on 12 and 23 September 2024.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Years after 9/11, while researching my book about how America’s financial markets recovered from the attacks, I interviewed many people who helped restore the system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Markets went on to have a massive bull run as they recovered from the financial crisis of 2008, helping boost his index-fund investments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Victims often recovered sufficiently to be returned to action, and many performed heroically when they did.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Kulowiyi said her surviving son is recovering at home.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

While she was recovering at home afterwards, she received a surprise visit from Pope Francis.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

By recovering molecular evidence while minimizing damage to rare fossils, the methods could help researchers investigate ancient human relationships that have remained inaccessible through traditional genetic techniques.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Oil-sensitive stocks took a hit today before recovering some ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Lilya had to stay on the ground for six weeks recovering from her wound.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• bounce back
• gain
• grow
• heal
• increase
• overcome
• pick up
• rebound
• recuperate
• restore
• revive