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Glite Dictionary
♻️ To reuse materials 🔄 To use again
to recycle

to recycle

38 2.8
Make an idea, object, or material go through the same process again
  • verb
  • /rɪˈsaɪkəl/
: reutilizar
  • Many cities provide special bins so residents can easily recycle their materials.

You know, I'm somebody who doesn't like to recycle used up cliches.

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Examples

  • First, take your old queries that never won assignments and recycle them.

    Academic text (2008)

  • For example, participants could share ideas about ways to recycle or experiment for the science fair.

    Academic text (2011)

  • And there are ways to make it easier to recycle this stuff.

  • Now you say, but I recycle and yeah, you know, we recycle.

  • So yeah, I think I will recycle these clamps.

  • We continue to reduce our carbon footprint and to recycle evermore waste.

  • What we want is to urge Singaporeans to recycle for purpose or for reuse.

  • It turns out ubiquitin is recycled inside the cell.

  • The existing PLS recycles funds back to the paying entities to be used for pollution control projects.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Representations of black females in the media tend to recycle familiar stereotypes and slightly alter them in a contemporary context.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

to reuse
vsto recycle
37 2.3

To use something again after cleaning or fixing it

involves repeating a process on materials or objects rather than just using again
to reprocess
vsto recycle
12 4.7

Treat something again so it can be used or made better

causes a process or material to repeat fully for later use
to reclaim
vsto recycle
3 3.7

To take useful materials from waste so they can be used again

focuses on repeating cycles for later use rather than only taking materials from waste
to upcycle
vsto recycle
1 6.7

Change old things people would throw away into new, more useful things

causes materials to go through cycles for further processing rather than raising value
to recover
vsto recycle
  • Specialized
1 3.9

Take useful materials from waste to use again

is broader and causes materials or objects to repeat processes beyond mere retrieval
to reutilize
vsto recycle
  • US
1 5.1

To use something again after fixing it or for a new purpose

focuses on making materials or objects go through a cycle again for use

How Often

loop
  • Specialized
22 4.7
to repeat
∞ 1.0
to recycle
38 2.8
to reuse
37 2.3

Surface Forms

recycle infinitive
recycled past
recycled past participle
recycling present participle
recycles third person singular

Morphology

recycle = cycle (transparent) = re + cycle

This is a straightforward case of 're-' plus 'cycle', meaning to put something through a cycle again.

Etymology

The word recycle comes from re- 'again' and cycle 'a circle or repeated process'. So to recycle an idea or a process is to make it go through the same cycle 'again'.