reclaim

To get back something that belongs to you or that you once had.

• I went to reclaim my bag.
• The team reclaimed the title after ten years.
• You may be able to reclaim the tax you paid.

How to use it: reclaim something from someone/something (She reclaimed her money from the company.)

Similar words: recover, get back, retrieve

Opposites: relinquish

Common phrases: reclaim your luggage, reclaim your property, reclaim the title

To make land suitable for use, often by draining water or repairing damage.

• They plan to reclaim the old mine site.
• Farmers reclaimed the marsh for growing crops.
• Much of the airport stands on land reclaimed from the sea.

How to use it: reclaim land from something (Engineers reclaimed land from the sea.)

Similar words: restore, rehabilitate

Common phrases: reclaim land, reclaim a marsh, reclaim damaged land

To get useful materials from waste or things that have already been used.

• The plant reclaims water for reuse.
• They reclaimed wood from a demolished house.
• Can we reclaim useful metals from these batteries?

How to use it: reclaim something from something (The factory reclaims copper from old cables.)

Similar words: recover, salvage, recycle

Common phrases: reclaim waste water, reclaim scrap metal, reclaim old timber

Material collected from something already used, so it can be used again.

• The factory mixes rubber reclaim into new products.
• They collected reclaim from the used equipment.
• This batch of reclaim needs further processing.

Similar words: recovered material

Common phrases: rubber reclaim, cannabis reclaim, collect the reclaim