reactivate

American  

[ree-ak-tuh-veyt] / riˈæk təˌveɪt /

verb (used with object)

• reactivates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reactivated,
  past participle,  past
• reactivating
  present participle

1. to render active again; revive.

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verb (used without object)

• reactivates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reactivated,
  past participle,  past
• reactivating
  present participle

1. to be active again.

reactivate British  

/ rɪˈæktɪˌveɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make (something) active or functional again

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reactivation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reactivating
  present
• reactivated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reactivate
  simple
• reactivates
  simple
• have reactivated
  perfect
• has reactivated
  perfect
• am reactivating
  progressive
• are reactivating
  progressive
• is reactivating
  progressive
• have been reactivating
  perfect progressive
• has been reactivating
  perfect progressive

Past

• reactivated
  simple
• had reactivated
  perfect
• was reactivating
  progressive
• were reactivating
  progressive
• had been reactivating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reactivate
  simple
• will have reactivated
  perfect
• will be reactivating
  progressive
• will have been reactivating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of reactivate

First recorded in 1900–05; re- + activate

Explanation

Whether it’s a slumping economy, a gym membership you let expire, or a feature on your phone that you shut off by accident, when you reactivate something, you put it back into action. In reactivate the prefix re- means "again." Added to the word activate, meaning "start," reactivate means "start again." If your email account has been shut down because of a password error, for example, you would contact tech support to reactivate it, or if you used to be part of a group that has stopped meeting, you might call the other members to see if they are interested in reactivating it, meaning start it back up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reactivate reactivates reactivated reactivating

The results show that dormant viruses can reactivate frequently in people who appear to have functioning immune systems during severe illness, particularly when systemic inflammation is elevated.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

The lawyer says it is imperative to reactivate civil registry offices in accessible areas and intensify legal efforts to ensure children obtain their right to identity and legal recognition.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The Ministry of Energy said that protocols to reactivate the grid were underway.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Instead, he is looking to reactivate one of his nonprofit’s programs that brings Venezuelan students to the U.S. to learn about democratic systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

The intercom turns itself off, and I push the button to reactivate it.

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

"If you ever log on to your account for any reason, even accidentally, because it is an app on your phone it reactivates and then sends a new order," she said.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2024

Fluid injection first reactivates the fault patches through slow, aseismic slip and causing only few and small seismic events, followed by a progressive localization ultimately leading to large induced events.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024

The scientists reported they treated seven monkeys, and then infected these animals and seven controls with simian immunodeficiency virus, which is closely related to HIV in humans and reactivates tuberculosis.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 5, 2022

Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse, was killed in the Sandy Hook shootings, said learning about every mass shooting is “like a punch in the gut every single time” that reactivates the pain and grief.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2022

Out on the street, vampires catch fire and turn into crispy critters as the UV shield reactivates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2015

Water had saturated the mica schist and reactivated the old landslide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

A few tankers filled with Iranian crude crossed the Strait of Hormuz this week, while others that had been hiding their location reactivated their radio signals, analysts and ship trackers said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

In working with Apple to improve security, Sir Mark said only a minority of stolen phones were being reactivated compared to a few months ago, making it "harder for criminals to profit".

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

Grolite, a high-performance mineral soil conditioner, is being brought in from the Netherlands to keep the grass healthy and the original irrigation system is being reactivated.

From Barron's ● May 12, 2026

She never reactivated them, and she certainly never reactivated the bully models.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The United States is in the process of reactivating its embassy in Caracas.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

Termination was never automatic after 13 strikes, and there was no evidence Cox ever terminated a subscriber’s account without reactivating it.

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2025

Sable, however, said it remains steadfast in its goal of reactivating the Santa Ynez Unit — a complex of three offshore platforms, onshore processing facilities and connecting pipelines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

The Harlequins player deactivated his X account following his initial post, before reactivating it to claim he was "just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture".

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024

The damage must prevent the sight shield from reactivating.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• revive