recover

/riˈkʌvər/

/rɛˈkʌvə/

Other forms: recovered; recovering; recovers

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.

Definitions of recover

1. verb

   regain or make up for
   synonyms: recoup, recuperate

   types:

   catch up with, make up

   make up work that was missed due to absence at a later point

   type of:

   acquire, get

   come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
2. verb

   get or find back; recover the use of
   synonyms: find, regain, retrieve

   find, regain

   come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost

   types:

   access

   obtain or retrieve from a storage device; as of information on a computer

   address

   access or locate by address

   log in, log on, log-in

   enter a computer

   type of:

   acquire, get

   come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
3. verb

   reuse (materials from waste products)
   synonyms: reclaim

   type of:

   recycle, reprocess, reuse

   use again after processing
4. verb

   get over an illness or shock
   synonyms: convalesce, recuperate

   recuperate

   restore to good health or strength

   types:

   gain vigor, percolate, perk, perk up, pick up

   gain or regain energy

   snap back

   recover quickly

   type of:

   ameliorate, better, improve, meliorate

   get better
5. verb

   regain a former condition after a financial loss
   “We expect the stocks to recover to $2.90”

   synonyms: go back, recuperate

   types:

   rally, rebound

   return to a former condition

   type of:

   regress, retrovert, return, revert, turn back

   go back to a previous state
6. verb

   cover anew
   “recover a chair”

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered