1 [count] : the act or process of becoming healthy after an illness or injury : the act or process of recovering — usually singular ▪ The patient made a miraculous recovery. ▪ Therapy played a vital role in his recovery. ▪ The card said, “Best wishes for a speedy recovery.” [=a quick return to health] ▪ She is expected to make a complete/full recovery. [=to recover fully; to have no lasting health problems] ▪ She's on the road to recovery. [=in the process of becoming healthy again] 2 : the act or process of returning to a normal state after a period of difficulty [count] — usually singular ▪ the forest's natural recovery after a fire ▪ The army helped with the recovery efforts after the storm. ▪ We should see a gradual economic recovery in the next few months. [noncount] ▪ This policy may slow the pace of economic recovery. 3 [noncount] : the return of something that has been lost, stolen, etc.
▪ We hope for the recovery of the stolen paintings. ▪ Their mission was the recovery of the space capsule. ▪ programmers trained in data recovery [=getting back computer files that are or seem to be lost] 4 [noncount] : the act or process of stopping the use of drugs, alcohol, etc., and returning to a healthy way of living
▪ Admitting that you are addicted to a drug is an important step toward recovery. ▪ She's battled alcoholism most of her life, but she's in recovery now. 5 [noncount] : the act of getting something (such as oil, gas, gold, etc.) out of a substance that is deep in the ground
▪ a technique used in oil and gas recovery