To recuperate means to recover your strength and health after being sick, injured, or exhausted. When you catch the flu and spend a few days in bed, you're recuperating: your body is healing and rebuilding its energy. An athlete who sprains an ankle needs time to recuperate before returning to practice.

You're getting back the energy, strength, or health you temporarily lost. A tired teacher might recuperate over summer vacation, while a patient recuperates in the hospital after surgery.

Recuperation takes patience. The body needs rest, good food, and time to repair itself. Trying to rush back to normal activities too quickly can slow down recovery. That's why doctors tell patients to take it easy and allow proper time to recuperate.

You might also hear the related word recuperation, which is the process or period of recovering. Someone might say, “After three days of recuperation, I finally felt like myself again.” The key idea is always the same: getting what you need to bounce back and feel strong again.