26984 words

recover

11 definitions • 24 examples
1
to become completely well again after an illness or injury:

Examples:

recover from/after It took her a long time to recover from/after her heart operation.
recover from He never really recovered from the shock of his wife dying.
2
to become successful or normal again after being damaged or having problems:

Examples:

recover after It took a long time for the economy to recover after the slump.
3
to get back something lost or spent:

Examples:

She went into a coma and died without recovering consciousness.
recover yourself She was astonished to see me, but she soon recovered her composure/herself (= soon gave the appearance of being calm).
Police only recover a very small percentage of stolen goods.
recover cost The initial outlay of setting up a company is considerable and it takes a while to recover those costs.
4
in sports such as American football, to pick up and hold a ball that is not being controlled by either team:

Examples:

The running back fumbled the ball and the defensive back was able to recover it.
The receiver dropped the punt and it was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.
5
to get better after an illness or a period of difficulty or trouble:

Examples:

[ I ] It took her a while to recover after the operation.
6
To recover something is to find or get back the use of something lost or taken away:

Examples:

[ T ] The police recovered her handbag, but her wallet was gone.
7
to improve after a difficult period or after falling in value:

Examples:

Consumer confidence has been slow to recover in the aftermath of the credit crunch.
Profits are expected to recover in the current financial year.
recover from With the country's economy recovering from its deepest recession for 50 years, company earnings are expected to be higher than a year ago.
recover to 12%/70c etc. Since their 52p low in autumn of last year, shares have recovered to 687p.
8
to get back money you have spent, invested, or lost:

Examples:

Airlines are imposing higher surcharges in an attempt to recover a percentage of the increase in fuel prices.
recover debts/investments/funds Cautious investors are likely to stay out of the market until they have recovered their initial investment.
9
to get money from a person or company that has caused you loss or damage by order of a court of law:

Examples:

recover costs/damages/money Current legislation does not permit an employee to recover damages for a hostile working environment.
Harrington led the lawsuit to recover losses from the bonds issued by the fraudulent corporation.
10
to get something back that was lost or almost destroyed:

Examples:

We had to bring in a computer expert to help us recover the data from the hard drive.
11
to get natural resources such as oil or gas from under the ground or sea:

Examples:

Technological advances are helping companies recover more of the oil and gas they find.

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