recline

verb

re·​cline ri-ˈklīn 

reclined; reclining

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

Sit in a reclining lawn chair or lie on your back to get a wide view of the sky. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

The priciest work on display, on offer from Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries, is a rare 1917 painting of a reclining nude woman by Amedeo Modigliani, Nu étendu (Lolotte), valued in excess of $100 million. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

While the seat slid back and forth smoothly, the seatback recline lever on the side didn’t work. — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Another image showed Fox reclining beneath the same dramatic lighting in a metallic two-piece swimsuit. — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French recliner, from Latin reclinare, from re- + clinare to bend — more at lean

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for recline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

recline

verb

re·​cline ri-ˈklīn 

reclined; reclining

1

: to lean or cause to lean backwards

2

: repose entry 1 sense 2, lie

reclining on the sofa