recreate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recreate
1425–75; late Middle English recreaten < Latin recreātus (past participle of recreāre to create again, revive), equivalent to re- re- + creātus; see create
Explanation
To recreate means to give new life to something, to redo, or remake it. Say you become a billionaire and you grow tired of your mansion, try recreating your childhood home on your estate, so you can retire modestly. To recreate literally means to create over. If the mural you painted on the outside of your home was damaged in a flood, you might want to recreate it with waterproof paint. Recreate can also mean reimagine. If you become the principal of your old high school, you could throw out the old subjects and recreate high school education as everlasting game day. Recreate can also mean to play — it gives us the word recreation.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here’s the assignment: Recreate a painting that doesn’t exist, based only on a description jotted down centuries ago.
From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023
An executive at another developer, Recreate Games in Shanghai, said his company signed a deal with Microsoft last year for its upcoming multi-player title "Party Animals" to launch exclusively on Xbox.
From Reuters • Oct. 24, 2022
The parks service emphasizes this mantra: "Recreate responsibly."
From Fox News • Jan. 5, 2022
The Washington Recreate Responsibly Coalition announced new guidelines for outdoor recreation Tuesday.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 11, 2021
We men, the multiform features of man, whatsoever we be, Recreate him of whom we are creatures, and all we only are he.
From Songs Before Sunrise by Swinburne, Algernon Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
