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recover definition

re·cover (ri kuv′ər)

transitive verb

    1. to get back (something lost or stolen)
    2. to regain (health, consciousness, etc.)
  2. to compensate for; make up for to recover losses
    1. to get (oneself) back to a state of control, balance, or composure
    2. to catch or save (oneself) from a slip, stumble, betrayal of feeling, etc.
  4. to reclaim (land from the sea, useful substances from waste, etc.)
  5. Law to get or get back by final judgment in a court to recover damages
  6. Sports to gain or regain control or possession of (a fumbled, muffed, wild, or free ball, puck, etc.)

Etymology: ME recoveren < OFr recovrer < L recuperare: see recuperate

intransitive verb

  1. to regain health, balance, or control
  2. to catch or save oneself from a slip, stumble, self-betrayal, etc.
  3. Law to succeed in a claim; receive judgment in one's favor
  4. Sports to recover a ball, puck, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law recover definition - legal

recover Synonyms

recover

v.

  1. To obtain again

    regain, get back, retrieve, recoup, reclaim, redeem, salvage, rescue, find again, recapture, repossess, bring back, win back, reacquire, rediscover, resume, catch up, replevin, replevy, seize; see also obtain 1.

    Antonyms lose*, let slip, forfeit. *

  2. To improve one's condition

    gain, increase, better, realize, make up for, reach, grow, collect, forge ahead, pick up, bounce back, produce, make money, make a comeback, become something*, make a name*; see also improve 2, profit 2.

    Antonyms fail*, go bankrupt, give up. *

  3. To regain health

    rally, get better, get well, recuperate, improve, convalesce, mend, heal, get over, come around, come back, come to, be restored, be oneself again, come out of it, get out of danger, get the better of, overcome, perk up, gain, gain strength, revive, be reanimated, get back, get back on one's feet, get back in shape, feel like a new person, sober up, snap out of it, pull through*, get through*, be out of the woods*, return to form*; see also improve 2.

    Antonyms die*, fail*, relapse.

recover implies finding or getting back something that one has lost in any manner to recover stolen property, to recover one's self-possession; regain more strongly stresses a deliberate winning back of something that has been lost or taken from one to regain confidence, to regain a military objective; retrieve suggests diligent effort in regaining something that is beyond each reach he was determined to retrieve his honor; recoup implies recovery of an equivalent in compensation I tried to recoup my losses; reclaim implies recovery or restoration to a better or useful state to reclaim wasteland


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

recover Usage Examples

Object

  • overpayment: CSA subsequently failed to recover the overpayment from the later compensation payments.

Adjective complement

  • quick: So even at this point, although you may recover quicker than me, relaxation is important.

Modifying Another Word

  • sufficiently: If you recover sufficiently, we may be able to arrange for you to take the paper later the same day.

Used with why or when

  • when: The town was just beginning to recover when the Great Depression hit.

Preposition: during

  • excavation: This backfill had inclusions of charcoal flecks and gravel and sherds of medieval pottery ( Appendix E ) were recovered during excavation.

Preposition: in

  • hospital: A young boy recovering in hospital from meningitis is affected by a neurological condition that gives him acute sensitivity to sounds and colors.

Preposition: from

  • trauma: She is beginning to recover from the trauma of the last three years but now the terror of deportation is hanging over her.

Preposition: by

  • claimant: If damages were to be recovered by the claimant, to whom should or could they be applied?
recover usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

recover quotes

There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.

-Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

recover quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"recover." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/recover>

APA Style

recover. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/recover

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