recycle

[ ree-sahy-kuhl ]

verb (used with object)

, re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

1. to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse:

   recycling paper to save trees.

2. to alter or adapt for new use without changing the essential form or nature of:

   The old factory is being recycled as a theater.

3. to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration:

   The governor recycled some speeches from his early days.

4. to cause to pass through a cycle again:

   to recycle laundry through a washing machine.

verb (used without object)

, re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling.

1. to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.
2. to undergo reuse or renewal; be subject to or suitable for further use, activity, etc.:

   The industry will recycle and become profitable once more.

noun

1. the act or process of recycling.

recycle

/ riːˈsaɪkəl /

verb

1. to pass (a substance) through a system again for further treatment or use
2. to reclaim (packaging or products with a limited useful life) for further use
3. to institute a different cycle of processes or events in (a machine, system, etc)
4. to repeat (a series of operations)

noun

1. the repetition of a fixed sequence of events

Derived Forms

• reˈcyclable, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• re·cycla·ble adjective
• re·cycla·bili·ty noun
• re·cycler re·cyclist noun
• nonre·cycla·ble adjective
• unre·cycled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recycle¹

First recorded in 1925–30; re- + cycle

Example Sentences

The very catchy song features Andy Samberg busting people who put trash in his recycle bin or trespass into his yard.

From Los Angeles Times

Democrats have successfully framed this election as a contest between normal and “weird,” to recycle the cringeworthy epithet from the Harris-Walz peak of early September.

From Salon

Deposit return schemes are used in many countries to encourage people to recycle drinks containers such as bottles and cans.

From BBC

I’m personally sympathetic to that road-not-taken argument, but to recycle another of the Democratic Party’s quadrennial hamster-wheel themes, none of that matters in the face of an existential emergency.

From Salon

The decision to recycle the pitch from the first Test was unusual though not illegal.

From BBC

Related Words

• convert