recuperate

verb

re·​cu·​per·​ate ri-ˈkü-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce recuperate (audio)
-ˈkyü-
recuperated; recuperating

transitive verb

1
: to get back : regain
2
: to bring back into use or currency : revive
recuperate old traditions

intransitive verb

: to regain a former state or condition
especially : to recover health or strength
recuperation noun

Examples of recuperate in a Sentence

She took a day off to recuperate. half the office was out today, many employees being sick or recuperating from the flu
Recent Examples on the Web How Meyerowitz continues his creative life while she’s confined to recuperating, only trying to survive, becomes another point of friction. Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024 One recuperating bird escaped the hands of a caretaker and alighted on top of a shelf. Jess McHugh, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Camp guards — either those deemed too old for combat or young men recuperating from long service or injury — mostly adhered to Geneva Convention rules. Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Redshirt sophomore Matthew McCoy replaced the recuperating Mauigoa at right tackle. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 The station has started a GoFundMe to help recuperate the cost of the tower. USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024 In 2010, the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, who for years had maintained a casual friendship with Ozawa, embarked on a more focused series of conversations about music with the conductor, then recuperating from treatment for his esophageal cancer. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 William had stepped away from royal duty to help care for his three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — while his wife, Princess Kate, recuperates. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024 The resulting smoke and water damage also devastated Yu & Me Books, destroying almost all of its inventory and equipment, according to a GoFundMe campaign store owner Lucy Yu set up to recuperate costs. Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recuperate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin recuperatus, past participle of recuperare — more at recover

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recuperate was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near recuperate

Cite this Entry

“Recuperate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recuperate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recuperate

verb
re·​cu·​per·​ate ri-ˈk(y)ü-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce recuperate (audio)
recuperated; recuperating
: recover sense 2
especially : to regain health or strength
recuperation noun

Medical Definition

recuperate

verb
re·​cu·​per·​ate ri-ˈk(y)ü-pə-ˌrāt How to pronounce recuperate (audio)
recuperated; recuperating

transitive verb

: to get back or recover
recuperating health and strength after pneumonia

intransitive verb

: to recover health or strength
time to recuperate after major surgery

More from Merriam-Webster on recuperate

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