restore
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bring back into existence, use, or the like; reestablish.
to restore order.
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to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting.
- Synonyms:
- mend
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to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor.
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to put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc..
to restore the king to his throne.
-
to give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost).
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to reproduce or reconstruct (an ancient building, extinct animal, etc.) in the original state.
- Synonyms:
- rebuild
verb
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to return (something, esp a work of art or building) to an original or former condition
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to bring back to health, good spirits, etc
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to return (something lost, stolen, etc) to its owner
-
to reintroduce or re-enforce
to restore discipline
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to reconstruct (an extinct animal, former landscape, etc)
Synonym Usage
See renew.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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restorablenessnoun
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restorernoun
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quasi-restoredadjective
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restorableadjective
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self-restoringadjective
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unrestorableadjective
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unrestoredadjective
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well-restoredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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restoresimple
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restoressimple
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have restoredperfect
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has restoredperfect
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am restoringprogressive
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are restoringprogressive
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is restoringprogressive
-
have been restoringperfect progressive
-
has been restoringperfect progressive
Past
-
restoredsimple
-
had restoredperfect
-
was restoringprogressive
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were restoringprogressive
-
had been restoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of restore
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English restoren, from Old French restorer, from Latin restaurāre; see re-, store
Explanation
If you restore furniture for a living, you clean and repair it to bring it back to its original beauty. When you restore something, you are simply bringing it back to what it once was. You are not making it better, nor are you adding something that wasn't there. You can restore a damaged reputation, your health, or an old house, though the latter may be easiest of those three to accomplish. If the electricity goes out, you will have to sit in the dark until the power is restored.
Vocabulary lists containing restore
"What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?" Vocabulary from the short story
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“Vaccine Controversy Shows Why We Need Markets, Not Mandates” by Ron Paul
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Chapter 20: Renaissance and Reformation
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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.
See Examples For:
The collaborative research team, led by scientists from Duke University School of Medicine, created a first-of-its-kind therapy designed to restore the normal length of the mRNA that produces SPSB1.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Germany will hope the trio can do for them what they once did for the Premier League club and restore one of football's fallen giants to its former glory.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
She has said the United Nations needs to restore its "credibility" on the global stage.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Warsh has vowed repeatedly over the last two months to restore price stability, to disabuse investors of the idea the Fed has implicitly accepted higher inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
At her age, and with the years it would take to restore the home, she would likely never return.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Refertilization occurs when magma restores chemical components to mantle rock that previously lost them during partial melting.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
Absent a drastic shift in policymaking that restores Indonesia’s reputation abroad, more pain could lie ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Cristian Axle Sánchez Ruiz restores a relic at in a church in Tancitaro, which bills itself as Avocado Capital of the World.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Whether this shift restores trust in polling or further erodes it will depend less on the technology itself than on how it is used, explained and regulated.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
By the time Celia restores a tenuous calm, she has come to a decision.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Karkosik, founder and principal shareholder of industrial group Boryszew, lives nearby in the small town of Kikol, in a restored 18th-century palace across from the parish church.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Once the MHC-1 complex was restored, immune checkpoint therapy became much more effective against the prostate tumors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Current planning permission would expire on 3 June 2027, with a condition requiring the site to be restored to its original condition within six months.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
After negotiations, access to those models was restored a few weeks later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Maddie’s faith in humanity was restored and she pushed her way out of the crowd and set off down the cobbled back lanes of Stockport.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
A newly developed dental gel may be able to rebuild damaged tooth enamel, potentially creating a new approach to preventing decay and restoring worn teeth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Since then GSA said about £26m of funding has gone towards work on restoring the historic building, which was first completed in 1910.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Burnham will set out "priorities for restoring confidence in government and giving Britain more breathing room" amid the cost-of-living crisis, his team said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Brase also aims to strengthen the business by restoring Conagra’s margins, increasing investment in its brands and reducing complexity across the business, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
By degrees he lowered the laser beam; he sat gripping it and then he shrugged and returned it to the desk drawer, locking the drawer and restoring the key to his pocket.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
