recover
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to become healthy or happy again after an illness, injury, or difficult time.
v.to return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. Often used intransitively with the preposition 'from'.
Simple“It took her nearly three weeks to fully recover from the flu.”
In context“Economists predict the region will take several years to recover from the structural damage caused by the sudden collapse of its primary industry.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to find and get back something that was lost, stolen, or taken away.
v.to regain possession or control of something formerly lost or surrendered. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Simple“The police were able to recover the stolen car two days later.”
In context“Divers spent months attempting to recover the gold bullion from the shipwreck, battling unpredictable currents and poor visibility at the seabed.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to get money or property back through a legal decision.
v.to obtain a judgement for or receive a sum of money as compensation through a formal legal process.
Simple“The company is trying to recover the costs of the damaged equipment.”
In context“The plaintiff sought to recover damages for breach of contract, arguing that the defendant's negligence resulted in significant lost revenue.”
UsageOften used in the context of damages or debts.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to put a new cover on something, like a chair or a roof.
v.to provide with a new surface or covering. Often hyphenated as 're-cover' to distinguish from the sense of regaining health.
Simple“We decided to recover the old sofa with a bright blue fabric.”
In context“The contractor advised that it would be more cost-effective to recover the existing roof membrane than to replace the entire structure.”
Teacher's tipIn writing, use a hyphen (re-cover) to make it clear you mean 'to cover again' rather than 'to get better'.
SynonymsresurfacereupholsterAntonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
n.a specific way of holding a gun during military practice.
n.a specific position in which a firearm is held during drills, typically with the lock at shoulder height.
Simple“The soldiers moved their rifles to the recover position on the sergeant's command.”
In context“During the drill, the recruits were instructed to bring their pieces to the recover, ensuring the slings faced outward as per regulation.”
Usage recovered three
“Delaware county officials also said they recovered the body of Stephanie Sallee and her dog in a cornfield on Saturday, not far from her car.”
“On Friday, Italian police said they'd recovered three paintings stolen from a museum near the city of Parma.”
From Middle English recoveren, rekeveren, from Anglo-Norman recoverer and Old French recovrer, from Latin recuperāre, alternative form of reciperāre. Doublet of recuperate. The noun is from Middle English recover, from the verb.
From re- + cover.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.