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recreation

American  
[rek-ree-ey-shuhn] / ˌrɛk riˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. refreshment by means of some pastime, agreeable exercise, or the like.

  2. a pastime, diversion, exercise, or other resource affording relaxation and enjoyment.

recreation British  
/ ˌrɛkrɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

  1. refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and enjoyment

  2. an activity or pastime that promotes this

    1. an interval of free time between school lessons

    2. ( as modifier )

      recreation period
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • recreatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of recreation

1350–1400; Middle English recreacioun (< Middle French recreation ) < Latin recreātiōn- (stem of recreātiō ) restoration, recovery, equivalent to recreāt ( us ) ( recreate ) + -iōn- -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.