recline

re·cline | \ ri-ˈklīn

How to pronounce recline (audio)

\

reclined; reclining

Definition of recline

transitive verb

: to cause or permit to incline backwards

intransitive verb

1 : to lean or incline backwards

2 : repose, lie

Examples of recline in a Sentence

She was reclining on the sofa, watching TV. The theater has reclining seats. He reclined his seat so that he could nap more comfortably.

Recent Examples on the Web In 1984, a two-year-old named Joy Griffith climbed onto her grandfather’s reclining sofa chair to watch cartoons. — Robin Kaiser-schatzlein, The New Republic, "The Tyranny of Economists," 30 Sep. 2019 Like the current seats on Spirit Airlines planes, the new seats are not adjustable, but have been reclined back an extra inch, Spirit officials said. — Hugo Martin, chicagotribune.com, "Spirit Airlines tries to fix its image with comfier seats," 27 Sep. 2019 Click on that to recline the chair and the chick and the duck appear, quacking and squeaking and walking around on the bottom of the screen. — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, "'Pivot' over to Google to check out some hilarious Friends Easter eggs for 25th anniversary," 19 Sep. 2019 Like the current seats on Spirit Airlines planes, the new seats are not adjustable, but have been reclined back an extra inch, Spirit officials said. — Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times, "Spirit Airlines tries to fix its image with comfier seats," 9 Sep. 2019 My button-loving younger son kept reclining his chair. — Jackie Spinner, Washington Post, "In a world where a special-needs kid is asked to leave Outback, is it okay to go to the movies?," 14 Aug. 2019 Treat yourself and lie back on a reclining lawn chair and take it all in! — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, "Mike Lynch: Awesome autumn stargazing," 29 Sep. 2019 Illustrative of the artist’s signature style, her 2010 Portrait of Mnonja depicts a striking female figure reclining on a couch. — Anne Showalter, Smithsonian, "The Fierce Pride and Passion of Rhinestone Fashion," 9 Aug. 2019 Search #poolfloat on Instagram and there’s a near endless scroll of babies, dogs and fully grown adults reclining on inflatables of all shapes and sizes. — Sanam Yar, New York Times, "America’s Next Top Pool Float," 30 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'recline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near recline

reclining-chair car

Statistics for recline

Last Updated

28 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Recline.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reclined. Accessed 7 December 2019.

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More Definitions for recline

recline

verb

English Language Learners Definition of recline

formal : to sit back or lie down in a relaxed manner

: to lean backward

See the full definition for recline in the English Language Learners Dictionary

recline

re·cline | \ ri-ˈklīn

\

reclined; reclining

Kids Definition of recline

1 : to lie down or sit back usually in a relaxed way

2 : to lean backward Does that chair recline?

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