upcycle

verb

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up·cy·cle | \ ˈəp-ˌsī-kəl

upcycled; upcycling

Definition of upcycle

transitive verb

: to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item : to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value) The line upcycles single-use plastic bags that are cleaned and brought in from Bali, Indonesia, and parts of California for use as the main material in the shoes. In the company's first year more than 175,000 plastic bags were reused to create footwear and accessories.— Melissa Magsaysay

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Examples of upcycle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Part of the show will feature the work of another group of designers who will upcycle deastock Public School fabrics to fashion new garments. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2022 Come up with creative ways to upcycle your products and sell them to your customers. — Shane Barker, Forbes, 7 June 2022 McLaughlin gets paid by brands to upcycle their products for her social media channels. — CNN, 5 Jan. 2022 Nissan’s Blue Switch project plans to upcycle electric car batteries for mobile emergency power supplies in the aftermath of natural disasters and, in Japan, electric car batteries have been reused as storage cells on solar farms. — Carlton Reid, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021 Students will bring in a denim jacket or jeans and learn to upcycle a piece of clothing with embroidery. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 Dec. 2021 Turn Your Luggage Into Storage: Rather than ordering expensive under-bed storage, upcycle your suitcase to do the job. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Nov. 2021 In April, The RealReal partnered with eight luxury brands, including Stella McCartney and Balenciaga, to authenticate and upcycle their goods through a circular fashion initiative called Atelier & Repairs. — Bryan Pearson, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021 There are many ways to upcycle your wardrobe, but this TikToker has taken her remixed fashion to a whole new level with backpacks! — Essence, 29 Oct. 2021 See More

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