recover
gb/ɹɪkˈʌvɚ/ us/ɹɪkˈʌvɚ/
A2
English
~ 1900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Return to good health
To become healthy again after being sick or hurt.
Usage pattern:
to recover from [an illness/injury/situation]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes omit 'from' when talking about the cause, e.g., 'recover the flu' instead of 'recover from the flu'.
Synonyms
heal (Implies the process of becoming healthy again, often used for wounds or injuries.)
Antonyms
deteriorate (Describes health or condition becoming worse rather than better.)
Collocations
recover from illness
|recover from injury
|fully recover
|recover quickly
|recover completely
Themes
health
|daily life
|emotions
|body
Examples
- She took a few weeks to recover from the flu.
- After surgery, it took him months to recover fully.
- The athlete recovered quickly after his knee injury.
Learner examples
- I need time to recover from my cold.
- He will recover in two weeks.
- She is recovering after the accident.
Verb
B1
action
2
Get back something lost
To get something back that you lost or that was taken from you.
Usage pattern:
to recover [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse with 'discover', which means to find something new, not get back something lost.
Synonyms
retrieve (Often used for finding and bringing back an object, sometimes with less emphasis on ownership.)
Antonyms
lose (Fail to keep possession of something.)
Collocations
recover stolen property
|recover lost items
|recover data
|recover money
Themes
daily life
|law
|business
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- Police recovered the stolen paintings.
- I finally recovered my wallet from the lost and found.
- They worked to recover the funds taken in the scam.
Learner examples
- I recovered my phone from the bus.
- The police recovered the car.
- She recovered her bag after losing it.
Verb
B1
action
3
Bounce back after difficulty
To become normal again after something bad happens.
Usage pattern:
to recover from [a setback/loss]
Synonyms
bounce back (Informal; emphasizes quick and energetic return to form.)
Antonyms
collapse (Fail to return to a stable condition after trouble.)
Collocations
recover from shock
|recover from defeat
|recover confidence
|recover quickly
Themes
emotions
|business
|sports
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- The company recovered quickly after the crisis.
- It took her months to recover from the breakup.
- The team struggled to recover after their early losses.
Learner examples
- He recovered from the bad news.
- The city recovered after the storm.
- She will recover soon from her loss.
Verb
technical
B2
action
4
Restore lost data or systems
To bring back computer files or systems after they are lost or broken.
Usage pattern:
to recover [data/files/system]
Synonyms
restore (More general; can apply outside computing contexts as well.)
Antonyms
erase (To remove data permanently so it cannot be restored.)
Collocations
recover data
|recover files
|recover system
Themes
technology
|business
Examples
- They managed to recover all the files after the crash.
- The IT team recovered the database from backups.
- He used special software to recover deleted photos.
Learner examples
- I need to recover my files.
- She recovered her computer system.
- They recovered the lost photos.
Grammar
Dictionary form
recover
IPA
GB/ɹɪkˈʌvɚ/
US/ɹɪkˈʌvɚ/
Syllables & stress
re - cov - er (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cov)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: recover
- 3rd Person Singular: recovers
- Present Participle: recovering
- Past: recovered
Word family
Forms
recovers
verb
recovering
verb
recovered
verb
Core family
recovery
noun B1
Related words
recoverable
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unrecoverable
adjective
Expressions
cost recovery
1/kˈɔst ɹɪkˈʌvɚi/
fixed phrase
technical
Getting back money spent on something
Getting back the money you spent on something by earning or saving it.
Examples
- The project is expected to achieve cost recovery in two years.
- Cost recovery is essential for sustainable operations.
recover from
1/ɹɪkˈʌvɚ fɹˈʌm/
phrasal verb
Return to normal after illness or trouble
To become healthy or normal again after being sick, hurt, or having problems.
Examples
- She is recovering from a serious illness.
- It took him a long time to recover from losing his job.
recover one's breath
1/ɹɪkˈʌvɚ wˈʌnz bɹˈɛθ/
fixed phrase
Breathe normally again after effort
To start breathing normally again after running or hard exercise.
Examples
- He stopped at the top of the hill to recover his breath.
- After sprinting, she bent over to recover her breath.