upcycle

[uhp-sahy-kuhl]

verb (used with object)

upcycled, upcycling 

1. to process (used goods or waste material) so as to produce something that is often better than the original.

   I upcycled a stained tablecloth into curtains.

verb (used without object)

upcycled, upcycling 

1. to process goods or material so as to produce something that is often better than the original.

   Several new companies whose purpose is to upcycle have sprung up recently.

noun

1. Economics.,  a period or cycle during which business activity or profitability is at a high point.

   The whole industry has entered an upcycle.

Other Word Forms

• upcycler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of upcycle¹

First recorded in 1990–95; up + (re)cycle

Example Sentences

They attribute this to the strong AI-fueled tech upcycle, trade rerouting and the frontloading of shipments.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The most pivotal opportunity in the medium term….for Cat is a multi-industry re-rating and attracting long-term investors who historically only looked to own Cat at the start of a construction or mining upcycle,” wrote Zakaria.

Read more on Barron's

That could increase the chances and magnitude of a freight upcycle, but those changes could take time as “insufficient enforcement resources across a mobile and highly-fragmented industry” won’t make it immediate, the analysts say.

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An AI-driven semiconductor upcycle and steady demand for nontech goods from markets outside the U.S. contributed to the trade-dependent economy’s better-than-expected exports in the first three quarters, offsetting the drag from trade headwinds, Oh says.

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We’ve worked with the most committed pecan shellers to upcycle pecan pieces and capture nut meats to preserve their nutrition.

Read more on Salon