Re-cover or recover?
re-cover is a verb meaning “To cover again”; recover is a verb meaning “To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of…”. re-cover is written with a hyphen and recover as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between re-cover and recover?
| re-cover | recover | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Meaning | To cover again | To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal) To salvage, to extricate, to rescue (a thing or person) A position of holding a firearm during exercises, whereby the lock is at shoulder height and the sling facing out |
| Example | none recorded | After days of inquiries, he finally recovered his lost wallet |
| Forms | re-covers, re-covering, re-covered | recovers, recovering, recovered |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ɹɪˈkʌvə/ /ɹɪˈkʊvə/ /ɹɪˈkəvə/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 19 times per million words |
Sources: re-cover and recover in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of re-cover and recover
re-cover
- 1
To cover again
recover
- 1
To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal)
After days of inquiries, he finally recovered his lost wallet
- 2
A position of holding a firearm during exercises, whereby the lock is at shoulder height and the sling facing out
- 3
To cover again
- 4
To salvage, to extricate, to rescue (a thing or person)
They recovered three of the explorers very much alive, then another, wracked with severe hypothermia, who was taken to hospital
- 5
datedThe forward movement in rowing, after one stroke to take another (recovery)
- 6
To add a new roof membrane or steep-slope covering over an existing one
- 7
To replenish to, resume (a good state of mind or body)
At the top of the hill I asked to stop for a few minutes to recover my strength
- 8
To obtain a positive judgement; to win in a lawsuit
The plaintiff recovered in his suit, being awarded declaratory relief and a clearing of his name
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, re-cover or recover?
re-cover is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; recover 19 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).