re·cov·er
(rĭ-kŭv́ər)
[Middle English recoveren, from Old French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre; see recuperate.]
verb: -ered, -er·ing, -ers.
transitive verb
- To get back; regain.
- To restore (oneself) to a normal state: He recovered himself after a slip on the ice.
- To compensate for: She recovered her losses.
- To procure (usable substances, such as metal) from unusable substances, such as ore or waste.
- To bring under observation again: “watching the comet since it was first recovered—first spotted since its 1910 visit” (Christian Science Monitor)
intransitive verb
- To regain a normal or usual condition, as of health.
- To receive a favorable judgment in a lawsuit.
derivatives
- re·cov́er·a·ble
- adjective
- re·cov́er·er
- noun
synonyms:
recover, regain, recoup, retrieve These verbs mean to get back something lost or taken away. Recover is the least specific: The police recovered the stolen car. “In a few days Mr. Barnstaple had recovered strength of body and mind” (H.G. Wells) Regain suggests success in recovering something that has been taken from one: “hopeful to regain/Thy Love” (John Milton) To recoup is to get back the equivalent of something lost: earned enough profit to recoup her expenses. Retrieve pertains to the effortful recovery of something ( retrieved the ball ) or to the making good of something gone awry: “By a brilliant coup he has retrieved . . . a rather serious loss” (Samuel Butler)
