recover

/rɪˈkʌvə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈkʌvər/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈkə-vər/ (ame, mw)

recover — verb

  • recoverpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • recovershe / she / it
  • recoveredpast simple
  • recovering-ing form

1. to become healthy again after being sick, hurt, or weak for a period of time — y

1.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to become healthy again after being sick, hurt, or weak for a period of time — your body fixes itself and you feel normal again

例句

After two weeks in bed, Amelia had fully recovered from the flu.

recover + from + illness

The doctor said Rodrigo would need at least a month to recover after the surgery.

同義詞
  • get better

    informal; used in everyday conversation instead of 'recover'

  • heal

    focuses on the body repairing itself, often for wounds or broken bones

  • recuperate

    more formal; emphasises rest and the process of regaining strength

反義詞
  • get worse

    the opposite direction — health deteriorates instead of improving

  • deteriorate

    more formal; used in medical contexts when a condition worsens

文法句型

recover + from + noun phrase

用法筆記

Subject must be a living creature (person or animal). For objects, places, or systems returning to normal, see sense 2 (BOUNCE BACK).

常見錯誤

❌I hope you will recover from your sickness soon.
✅I hope you recover from your illness soon.
💡'sickness' is acceptable but 'illness' is more natural in this collocation with 'recover from'.
❌The doctor recovered the patient.
✅The patient recovered under the doctor's care.
💡'recover' is intransitive in this sense; you cannot 'recover someone' to mean 'cure someone'.

2. to go back to a good or normal condition after a difficult period — used when a

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

to go back to a good or normal condition after a difficult period — used when a business, economy, team, or relationship finds its way again after trouble

例句

The housing market has recovered from the crash much faster than experts expected.

market/economy + recover + from + crisis

Tomás lost the first set but recovered to win the match in five sets.

同義詞
  • rebound

    suggests a quick, strong return after a sharp drop; used in finance and sports

  • rally

    used in markets, sports, and politics — a late-stage recovery after a bad start

  • bounce back

    more informal; vivid image of springing back after being pushed down

反義詞
  • decline

    the opposite movement — continuing to get worse instead of returning to normal

  • collapse

    a sudden and complete failure from which recovery may not happen

文法句型

recover + from + noun phrase

recover + from + -ing

用法筆記

Subject is typically an organisation, market, economy, team, or relationship — not a person's health (see sense 1). Frequently used in business and finance reporting.

常見錯誤

❌The company recovered its losses quickly.
✅The company recovered from its losses quickly.
💡For a company returning to normal after losses, use 'recover from [loss/difficulty]'. 'Recover losses' (without 'from') means getting the money back (sense 3).

3. to have something again after losing it — whether money you spent, an object tha

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to have something again after losing it — whether money you spent, an object that was taken, a physical ability you lost, or emotional control that slipped away

例句

Nellie never recovered the money she lent to her former business partner.

recover + lost money

The police recovered the stolen paintings from a warehouse outside the city.

同義詞
  • regain

    very close in meaning; 'regain' sometimes emphasises effort, while 'recover' can imply the thing comes back naturally

  • retrieve

    focuses on the act of going to get something and bringing it back; more active

反義詞
  • lose

    the direct opposite — to no longer have something you once had

文法句型

recover + noun phrase

用法筆記

Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense IS transitive — the subject actively retrieves something. The object can be concrete (money, stolen goods), physical/mental (consciousness, sight), or emotional (composure, confidence).

常見錯誤

❌She recovered from her lost wallet.
✅She recovered her lost wallet.
💡When you get the physical object back, 'recover' is transitive with no 'from'.

4. in American football or rugby, to pick up or gain control of a loose ball during

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

in American football or rugby, to pick up or gain control of a loose ball during play before a player from the other team can get it

例句

Lucas recovered the fumble on the twenty-yard line and gave his team excellent field position.

A defender must be quick to recover a loose ball before the other side grabs it.

recover + a loose ball / fumble

同義詞
  • gain possession

    the official sports term; less common in everyday commentary but used in rule books

文法句型

recover + the ball / a fumble

5. to balance out a loss, delay, or shortfall through extra effort or resources — f

5.動詞及物C1
釋義

to balance out a loss, delay, or shortfall through extra effort or resources — filling a gap that something negative created

例句

Hyun worked through the weekend to recover the time lost during the power outage.

recover + time lost

The team ran extra drills every morning to recover lost ground from the first month.

同義詞
  • make up for

    more common in everyday English; less formal than 'recover' in this sense

  • compensate for

    formal; can be used for financial or non-financial shortfalls

  • recoup

    usually financial; to get back money you spent or lost

反義詞
  • waste

    opposite of using time/resources productively to close a gap

文法句型

recover + noun phrase (time, loss)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 3: sense 5 is about compensating for a shortfall through effort or extra input, not about retrieving an actual object that was lost. The object is typically an abstract measurable quantity (time, ground, income, opportunity).

6. to collect useful materials from waste so they can be processed and used again,

6.動詞及物C1
釋義

to collect useful materials from waste so they can be processed and used again, instead of being thrown away or destroyed

例句

The recycling plant recovers valuable metals like copper and aluminium from old electronics.

recover + material + from + waste source

Nearly half of the plastic from household waste can be recovered and turned into new products.

同義詞
  • reclaim

    similar meaning; 'reclaim' often implies taking back something that was abandoned or going to waste

  • salvage

    saving something from destruction or waste, often in the context of a disaster or demolition

反義詞
  • discard

    to throw away instead of recovering useful materials

文法句型

recover + material + from + source

用法筆記

Often used in environmental and manufacturing contexts. Distinguished from 'recycle' in that recovery focuses on extracting the raw material from a mixed or waste source, while recycling is the broader process of reprocessing materials into new products.