recreation

noun

rec·​re·​a·​tion ˌre-krē-ˈā-shən How to pronounce recreation (audio)
: refreshment of strength and spirits after work
also : a means of refreshment or diversion : hobby

Examples of recreation in a Sentence

The fields next to the school are used for recreation. decided to take a bike tour of the island for recreation and relaxation
Recent Examples on the Web Ten Michigan state park or recreation area campground have full-hookup sites with more on they way. Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, thanks to the rise of urban factories, most Americans no longer worked at home, which was, in turn, reimagined as the site of recreation—itself increasingly subject to commodification. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024 The lake’s sprawling footprint continues to welcome visitors and new residents alike, who seek fun in the sun and plenty of aquatic recreation along its 38,000 acres. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 And there's plenty of year-round outdoor recreation in this city of about 840,000, with more than 20 miles of scenic coastline, many parks, cultural and historic monuments, and restaurants (after all, this is the birthplace of paella). Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2024 The team had gone to the lake for recreation after a day of football practice. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Nancy Wallace, who toiled tirelessly to clean up the only freshwater river that flows in New York City, the Bronx River, and reclaim it for recreation and as a natural habitat, died on Feb. 15 at her home in Marblehead, Mass. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, Ripa shared a recreation of their Las Vegas wedding photos from nearly 28 years ago — and showed off one of their photos from the big day. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Some of the estate’s more notable recreation and leisure perks include a private gym, an orangery, a snooker room, a 65-foot indoor swimming pool, and a tennis court. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recreation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English recreacioun "act of refreshment, action of amusing," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin recreātiōn-, recreātiō "spiritual refreshment, amusement, new birth," going back to Latin, "act of restoring," from recreāre "to make new, restore, revive" (from re- re- + creāre "to bring into being, beget, give birth to") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at create entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recreation was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near recreation

Cite this Entry

“Recreation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recreation. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recreation

noun
rec·​re·​ation
ˌrek-rē-ˈā-shən
1
: refreshment of mind or body after work or worry : diversion
2
: a way of refreshing mind or body
hiking and gardening are our favorite recreations
recreational
-shnəl
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on recreation

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