recover
B1Neutral (used across formal and informal contexts)
Definition
Meaning
to return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength after an illness, injury, or period of difficulty.
to regain possession or control of something lost or taken; to retrieve or make up for losses; to return to a normal position or condition.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The verb focuses on the process of returning to a previous, better state. It can be intransitive (e.g., 'He recovered from surgery') or transitive (e.g., 'They recovered the stolen goods'). It implies a prior loss, decline, or problem.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. In legal contexts, 'recover' can be used in both varieties, but 'recover damages' is a standard collocation. Spelling: No difference.
Connotations
Similar connotations in both dialects.
Frequency
Similar high frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Subject + recover (intransitive)Subject + recover + from + illness/problem (intransitive)Subject + recover + Object (transitive)Subject + recover + Object + from + place/source (transitive)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “recover your footing”
- “recover your composure”
- “recover lost ground”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The company hopes to recover its investment within five years.
Academic
The study examines how forest ecosystems recover after a major wildfire.
Everyday
It took me a week to recover from that nasty flu.
Technical
The IT specialist managed to recover the corrupted data from the hard drive.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She is still recovering in hospital after the operation.
- The police recovered the stolen vehicle from a lock-up in London.
- The economy is expected to recover next quarter.
American English
- He's recovering at home from his knee surgery.
- Divers worked to recover the black box from the ocean floor.
- The team recovered from a 20-point deficit to win the game.
adverb
British English
- She smiled recoverably, trying to hide her embarrassment.
- The market dipped but moved recoverably by the end of the day.
American English
- He fell but got up recoverably, not seriously hurt.
- The system failed but rebooted recoverably.
adjective
British English
- The patient is now in a recoverable state.
- The situation is not yet recoverable.
American English
- The data was corrupted but thankfully recoverable.
- Is this a recoverable error in the system?
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My grandfather is recovering from a cold.
- I lost my keys but recovered them from the sofa.
- It took several months for the town to recover after the flood.
- She never fully recovered from the shock of the accident.
- Investors are waiting to see if the market will recover its losses by the year's end.
- Archaeologists recovered several ancient artefacts from the burial site.
- The government has launched a initiative to help the region recover its economic viability.
- Despite the setback, the research team managed to recover enough data to validate their hypothesis.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RE- (again) + COVER (to put a lid on, to protect). To RECOVER is to 'cover again' – to get back to a protected, safe, normal state.
Conceptual Metaphor
HEALTH IS A POSSESSION / NORMALITY IS A PLACE. 'Recovering' is metaphorically seen as getting back something you lost (health) or returning to a place of stability.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating 'recover' as 'восстанавливать' for all contexts. 'Восстановить данные' is correct for 'recover data', but 'выздоравливать' is used for health. Distinguish between 'recover from' (оправиться от) and 'recover' something (вернуть, получить обратно).
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'recover' with 'cover' or 'discover'. Incorrect: 'He covered from his illness.' Correct: 'He recovered from his illness.'
- Using 'recover' transitively without an object when needed. Incorrect: 'They hope to recover soon from the financial loss.' (Ambiguous). Better: 'They hope to recover their money soon.' or 'They hope to recover from the loss soon.'
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'recover' used intransitively?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Recover' as a transitive verb means to get something back (recover my phone). 'Recover from' is an intransitive phrasal verb meaning to get better after an illness or problem (recover from the flu).
No, it is neutral and used in all registers, from everyday conversation ('recover from a hangover') to formal reports ('recover outstanding debts').
Yes, commonly. You can 'recover from a shock', 'recover your composure', or 'recover from a heartbreak'. It implies regaining emotional stability.
The main noun is 'recovery' (e.g., 'economic recovery', 'make a full recovery'). 'Recover' itself is not used as a noun in modern English.
Collections
Part of a collection
Health and Body
A2 · 48 words · Talking about health, illness and medical care.