Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To cause something, especially a part of the body, to lean or lie back in a relaxed position.
   • To tilt or move something backward into a resting position.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To lean or lie back in a relaxed position with the body supported.
   • To assume or be in a resting or recumbent posture.

Usage

• Transitive Verb: Used when the subject is positioning an object (often a body part) into a reclined state.
  • She reclined her seat to get more comfortable.
  • He gently reclined the patient's head on the pillow.
• Intransitive Verb: Used when the subject themselves moves into a reclined position.
  • I like to recline in my armchair after work.
  • The passengers reclined as the plane took off.

Advanced Usage

• "Recline on/upon": To lean back against something for support.
  • He reclined upon the cushions.
• "Recline against": To rest one's back against something.
  • She reclined against the headboard to read.
• Figurative Use (less common): To depend or rely on something (often seen in older or formal texts, typically with 'upon').
  • He reclined upon the generosity of his friends. (Meaning: He relied on their generosity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Recliner (n): A type of chair with a back that can be tilted backward and a footrest that rises.
  • He fell asleep in his recliner.
• Reclining (adj/gerund): The act of leaning back or something designed to lean back.
  • The car has reclining seats. (Adjective)
  • Reclining is not allowed during takeoff. (Gerund)

Synonyms

• Lean back: To move the upper body backward from a sitting position.
• Lounge: To lie, sit, or stand in a relaxed, lazy way.
• Repose (formal/literary): To rest or lie.
• Loll: To sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way.

Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Recline" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The combinations "recline on/upon/against" are prepositional uses as shown in Advanced Usage.)

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms that use the exact word "recline.")

Verb

1. lean in a comfortable resting position
   • He was reposing on the couch
2. cause to recline
   • She reclined her head on the pillow
3. move the upper body backwards and down