recreate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- recreative adjective
- recreatively adverb
- recreativeness noun
- recreator noun
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; 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.
Their purpose will be to recreate crucial lost "green" habitats in areas dominated by concrete infrastructure, such as seawalls and flood defences.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
“So rather than trying to recreate that ourselves, it made a lot of sense to bring them in, support what they’re doing and help them scale,” she added.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
It’s lively and funny, but it doesn’t reimagine the film or fully recreate its propulsive energy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“Our hope is just people will always recreate safely.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
Joseph put on the broken watch and decided to recreate the beloved study he remembered from America.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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.
