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B1Pronunciation
UK
- /riːˈkʌvə/verb
US
- /rɪˈkəvər/
Meanings
Verb
become healthy or well again after illness, injury, or treatment
return to a normal or better state after a setback or decline
get back something lost, taken, or loose, or regain control of it
More meaningsFewer meanings
regain calm or self-control after surprise, embarrassment, or distress
obtain damages, debt, money, or property through a legal or financial claim
restore lost computer data or make a digital system work again
put a new covering on furniture or another object
Beyond the definition
Imagine a hiker who falls and twists their ankle. To recover means the ankle heals, they get their strength back, and they can return to the trail. But it is not only about physical health. You can recover lost items, like finding your keys after searching everywhere. You can also recover from a hard experience by slowly building your emotional strength again. The main idea is coming back to a normal state or getting back something that was lost. A company might recover from losses by making more sales, and a computer program can recover deleted files.
To recover means to return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength after an illness, injury, loss, or difficult experience. It implies a process of healing, restoration, and regaining something that was lost. For example: "After the surgery, it took months for her to fully recover."
But recover is not limited to personal well-being. You can also recover things, like lost data from a damaged hard drive ("The technician managed to recover most of my files.") or stolen property ("Police recovered the stolen painting."). Businesses can recover financially after a downturn, meaning they regain profitability and stability.
The context often dictates what is being regained. You might recover your composure after a shock, recover from a mistake by apologizing, or even recover a position in a race after falling behind. The key idea is a return to a previous condition—or an improvement upon it. It suggests resilience and the ability to bounce back from setbacks.
So whether it's healing your body, finding something lost, or rebuilding after hardship, recover speaks to the power of restoration and renewal.
Examples
- 1
Illness
After a few days in bed, she started to recover from the flu.
- 2
Return to work
He recovered enough to go back to work the following week.
- Patternrecover enough to + verb
get well enough to do something
- 3
Emotional shock
It took her months to recover from the shock of the accident.
- 4
Business hardship
The restaurant is still recovering from the slow winter season.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Physical balance
I almost fell on the stairs, but I recovered my balance.
- Phraserecover your balance
become steady again after almost falling
- 6
Self-control
She took a deep breath and quickly recovered her composure.
- Phraserecover your composure
become calm again
- 7
Stolen property
Police recovered the stolen bike two days later.
- 8
Deleted files
Luckily, the IT team recovered most of the deleted files.
See also
Similar
- heal
- recuperate
- bounce back
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- recover from surgery
- recover from an illness
- fully recover
- recover quickly
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- recoververb
Forms
- recoveredpast tenseverb
- recovering-ing formverb
- recoversverb