Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - recover

~1 v 1 »GET BETTER« 2 a) to get better after an illness, accident, shock etc  (After a few days of fever, he began to recover.) + from  (My boss is recovering from a heart attack.) b) if something recovers after a period of trouble or difficulty, it returns to its normal condition  (After this war, the country will take a long time to recover.) 3 »STH STOLEN/LOST ETC« to get back something that was taken from you, lost, or almost destroyed  (Police have so far failed to recover the stolen jewellery. | A number of bodies were recovered from the wreckage.) 4 »MONEY« to get back the same amount of money that you have spent or lost; recoup  (The company hopes to recover the cost of developing their new product.) 5 »ABILITIES/SENSES« to get back an ability, a sense, or control over your feelings, movements etc  (It was some hours before she recovered consciousness. | recover yourself (=control yourself again after being upset, embarrassed etc))  (It took Mom a few minutes to recover herself, but then she was back in control again.) recover your balance (=stop yourself from falling) - recoverable adj ~2 v to put a new cover on a piece of furniture recovery ~ n 1 a process of getting better after an illness, injury etc + from  (She made a quick recovery from the flu.) 2 the process of becoming stronger or more successful again after a difficult period  (Hopes of economic recovery are fading.) 3 the act of getting something back + of  (The recovery of the car from the lake took two hours.)