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to recline

to recline

4 2.9
To make someone lean back into a comfortable position
  • verb
  • /rɪˈklaɪn/
translation icon : recostar
  • I'm sure you understand, I reclined the seats and got some sleep in the car.
  • reclined chair
  • reclined seat

Examples

  • A space-age personal work environment complete with a reclining chair, multiple computer monitors, and a connected air filter.

    Blog text (1)
  • She's got seats in the car that recline back.

  • You can adjust the seats to recline completely flat.

  • I guess I was downstairs and, uh, about to recline and watch TV and I was, uh, half asleep, I guess.

  • The seat was reclined all the way down.

  • I pushed my seat back into a reclining position, turned away from the man, and made as if to nap.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • But many budget airlines don't allow you to recline your seats.

    Blog text (9)
  • Matthew took a seat in a reclining barber's chair.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Following routine audiometry, normal hearing subjects were placed in a sound-treated room on a reclining chair for ABR testing.

    Academic text (1995)
  • You can adjust the chair to recline to a more comfortable position while watching TV.

Synonyms

to lie
vsto recline
1.0

To rest flat on a surface

causes something to tilt backward rather than simply describe its position
to lean
vsto recline
418 1.5

To bend or rest at an angle against something

causes something to move back into a resting angled position
to lie down
vsto recline
221 1.0

To put your body flat on a bed to rest or sleep

causes something to tilt backward instead of being placed flat
to sit back
vsto recline
  • Informal
87 2.7

To lean back and relax while you watch

causes something to tilt backward rather than describe sitting comfort
to lean back
vsto recline
66 2.2

Move your upper body away from sitting upright to rest more comfortably

causes something to tilt backward rather than move by itself
to stretch out
vsto recline
21 2.5

Lie down with your body straight to rest or relax

causes something to tilt backward rather than make it fully horizontal
to repose
vsto recline
  • Literature
2 7.5

To lie or rest in a still, relaxed position

causes something to tilt backward rather than describe formal resting state
to lie with
vsto recline
1 6.6

To rest on a sofa next to someone or while reading

causes something to tilt backward rather than mean social resting together
to lig
vsto recline
  • Archaic
9.9

To lie down and rest

causes something to tilt backward rather than mean simple resting

Antonyms

126 1.0

To move from lying down to an upright position

How Reclined

to recline
4 2.9
to tilt
147 2.0
to tip
148 1.8

Surface Forms

recline infinitive
reclined past
reclined past participle
reclining present participle
reclines third person singular

Morphology

recline = re + cline

Although the word historically contains the prefix 're-', modern learners cannot reliably derive the causative sense from 're-' plus an independently recognizable English base.

Etymology

Recline comes from the Latin parts re- meaning 'back' and clinare meaning 'to lean', the same root you see in incline. So to recline something is to make it or a part of the body lean or lie back into a resting position.