recharge

recharge — verb

1. A battery or device recharges when you connect it to a power supply and its stor

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

A battery or device recharges when you connect it to a power supply and its stored energy fills up again, making the device usable once more. You can also recharge it yourself.

Example

You should recharge your phone battery before the flight tomorrow.

collocation: recharge + phone battery

The cordless drill recharges fully in about two hours if you leave it plugged in.

intransitive: device as subject

Common collocations
  • recharge the battery
  • recharge your phone
  • fully recharge
  • quickly recharge
  • recharge overnight
Synonyms
  • charge

    more general — recharge implies charging again after draining

  • refill

    used for liquids or containers, not batteries

  • top up

    informal British English, often used for small amounts of charge

Antonyms
  • drain

    lose power or empty the battery

  • deplete

    more formal, use up the stored energy

Grammar Patterns

recharge + noun (battery/device)

battery + recharges (no object)

Usage Note

Commonly used with devices that contain batteries — phones, laptops, power tools, electric vehicles. The transitive form (recharge something) takes the battery or device as the object. The intransitive form describes the battery itself filling with power.

Common Mistakes

I need to charge my phone again' (when it has been used before).
I need to recharge my phone.
'Charge' works for the first fill, but 'recharge' is preferred when you are filling it again after use.

2. When a person recharges, they take time to rest after working hard or feeling ti

2.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

When a person recharges, they take time to rest after working hard or feeling tired so that they feel full of energy again.

Example

After a long week at work, Layla likes to recharge by reading novels on Sunday.

informal register: recharging through leisure

Liang took a short vacation to the beach to recharge before the new semester.

Common collocations
  • recharge your batteries
  • time to recharge
  • need to recharge
  • recharge after work
  • recharge over the weekend
Synonyms
  • rest

    more general, does not carry the 'regain energy' metaphor

  • recuperate

    more formal, often used after illness

  • unwind

    focuses on relaxing after stress, not regaining energy

  • refresh oneself

    slightly more formal, similar meaning

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

person + recharges (no object)

person + recharges + after/before + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used in the fixed expression 'recharge your batteries' (meaning: rest so you feel energetic again). This sense is almost always intransitive — unlike sense 1, you do not 'recharge yourself'. The reflexive form is rare.

Common Mistakes

I need to recharge myself after work.
I need to recharge after work.
'Recharge' does not take a reflexive pronoun when talking about a person's energy.
Idioms

recharge your batteries

idiom

To rest and recover your energy after being tired or busy.

After a long week, Maya went to the beach to recharge her batteries.

Brian took a short nap to recharge his batteries before the evening meeting.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four describe taking a break from effort, but they differ in scope and register. 'Recharge' is informal and comes from the metaphor of a battery — you recharge after a long day, a hard workout, or a stressful week. 'Recuperate' is more formal and typically suggests recovering from illness, injury, or extreme exhaustion over a longer period. 'Unwind' focuses on the process of releasing stress rather than regaining energy. 'Rest' is the most general and neutral term — it covers any break from activity without the battery metaphor. For example: 'After the exam, Folake spent the weekend recharging with light novels and long walks.' 'The doctor told him to take a month off to recuperate after surgery.' 'A warm bath helps Tamar unwind after a tense day at the office.'

recharge ↗recuperateunwind ↗rest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From the prefix re- ('again') and the verb charge ('to load'), which comes from Old French chargier ('to load a weapon or vehicle'). The electrical meaning emerged in the late 1800s after the invention of rechargeable batteries, and the metaphorical sense about human energy became popular in the mid-1900s.