resurface
Americanverb (used with object)
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resurfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
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resurfaced,
past participle, past
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resurfacing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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resurfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resurfaced,
past participle, past
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resurfacing
present participle
verb
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(intr) to arise or occur again
the problem resurfaced
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(intr) to rise or cause to rise again to the surface
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(tr) to supply (something) with a new surface
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resurfacesimple
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resurfacessimple
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have resurfacedperfect
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has resurfacedperfect
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am resurfacingprogressive
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are resurfacingprogressive
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is resurfacingprogressive
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have been resurfacingperfect progressive
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has been resurfacingperfect progressive
Past
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resurfacedsimple
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had resurfacedperfect
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was resurfacingprogressive
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were resurfacingprogressive
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had been resurfacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resurface
Explanation
To resurface is to cover something with a fresh coat, like to resurface a road with new asphalt. It also means to come back, like a problem you wanted to forget or a monster in a movie that won’t die. You can resurface a birthday cake with another layer of frosting if you discover your brother has stuck his finger in the original buttercream. Another way to resurface is to emerge or appear again, sometimes above an actual surface, like when a dolphin dives under water and then resurfaces several minutes later. The dream you forgot when you woke up might also (figuratively) resurface later in the day.
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:
Aiming to resurface the pool ahead of July 4 celebrations, the government had awarded a contract to a Virginia-based company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, without a full bidding process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
With adverse weather forecast and the work ahead of schedule, plans to resurface the hard shoulders were scheduled for the following week.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The administration spent more than $16 million to resurface the basin of the pool with an “American Flag” blue color coating and make other upgrades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
What we throw away doesn’t take long to resurface, sometimes in the form of a witty, wise and gripping memoir.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
When I resurface, they are all laughing at me.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
I recently tried the “inverted filter” trend on TikTok that has been around for years and periodically resurfaces to highlight our inherent insecurities with how the world sees us.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026
Other family members expressed a desire for closure, with the DoJ quoting one family member who said "the grief resurfaces every time this case is discussed in court or other forums."
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
The balance depends on how much natural CO2 from ancient deep waters resurfaces.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2025
Cue that priceless look on every adult’s face when the goonies are reunited with their families as the entire pirate ship resurfaces to float joyously in the distance.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
A few seconds later he resurfaces and waves up to me.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Ahead of the solar eclipse, Tyler's McVitie's Jaffa Cakes TV advert also resurfaced - it was originally broadcast in 2023 when there was a partial lunar eclipse.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Now, the issues have resurfaced and it’s a costly potential delay.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Instead, the pretrial this month resurfaced the schisms.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
The photos resurfaced two years ago, when Yamal’s father posted it online with the caption “The beginning of two legends.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
She resurfaced a moment later between Anya and Ilana, and whispered to Anya, “What actually happened?”
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Those questions kept resurfacing throughout my reporting, particularly when I stopped talking to experts and started talking to people my own age.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
It’s been hard to tell what kind of comeback Williams is pursuing—if this is a quick resurfacing to play with Venus, or if she intends to fully recommit to the tour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“While compacting the concrete aggregate base in advance of final street resurfacing, water began to pool at the surface toward the eastern edge of the work area,” the utility said in a news release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In a lengthy second post, Trump bragged about steps he has taken to beautify Washington, including resurfacing the bottom of the Reflecting Pool with an "American flag blue" coating used in swimming pools.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
“I mean, I’m — I’m in Gryffindor, I’m . But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind. “
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
