Recycle
/ˌriːˈsaɪkəl/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo process used materials so they can be used again.
/ˌriːˈsaɪkəl/
To convert waste into reusable material.
The city encourages residents to recycle their aluminum cans.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have an old plastic bottle. Instead of throwing it away, you send it to a special place where they melt it down and make it into a new bottle or something else! That's recycling! It's like giving your old stuff a second life.
👶 For kids: Making new things from old things!
More Examples
She makes sure to recycle all her paper products.
We can help protect the environment by recycling.
How It's Used
"We should all recycle paper, plastic, and glass to reduce landfill waste."
To use something again, often with some process of change or re-purposing.
/ˌriːˈsaɪkəl/
To treat something so it can be used again.
The school recycled an old play into a new musical.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have a funny idea for a joke. Then you use the idea again, making the joke even funnier. That’s recycling, but in a different way! It's taking something and re-using it.
👶 For kids: Using something again, like making a toy from a box!
More Examples
The writer recycled an old plot device in her new novel.
We can recycle our clothes by donating them.
How It's Used
"The company recycled old marketing materials into new brochures."
Idioms & expressions
Recycle bin
A container specifically for collecting recyclable materials.
"Make sure to place all your glass and plastic in the recycle bin."
Recycle an idea
To reuse an idea, often by adapting it for a new context.
"The comedian recycled an old joke with a modern twist."
From re- (again) + cycle (from Greek kyklos 'circle'). The term initially referred to using something again in a cycle, and later to the process of breaking down used materials to make new ones.
Initially used in the context of processes, the word evolved to encompass environmental initiatives in the late 20th century.
Memory tip
Think of putting something through a cycle again. It's a RE-CYCLE, a cycle REPEATED.