resurface
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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:
"Between 2018 and 2023, apparently there was a resurface of major trafficking and transiting in Liberia. Over the last one-and-a-half years, we've been surveilling them and this is the result of that operation," said Coleman.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The group entered the water at Vaavu Atoll on 14 May and were reported missing when they failed to resurface later on.
From BBC ● May 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
Differences that have existed between Saudi Arabia and other countries could then resurface.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
There, I would sit on the clear sandy bottom of the river and let the current take me downstream, where I would resurface, put on my dirty clothes, and return to the farm.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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 deep water that resurfaces in the Southern Ocean has been isolated for centuries or even millennia, accumulating large amounts of CO2.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2025
To that end, before “Welcome to Derry” resurfaces the internet’s favorite scary clown, it foregrounds the ways that small-town charm can be an effective mask for the mundane evils we confront every day.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025
“I can’t believe you guys,” Simon says when he resurfaces.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
“Who keeps us safe?” began a popular call-and-response protest chant I first heard during the George Floyd uprising and that resurfaced during Metro Surge.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“With geopolitical uncertainty having resurfaced and remained elevated for more than a week, we now see limited scope for further Italy tightening,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 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
The history of the Jews of Jedwabne resurfaced in 2001, when Polish-American historian Jan T. Gross highlighted the role of Polish villagers in his book "Neighbors".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 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
“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
António Guterres labels lethal autonomous weapons “morally repugnant,” resurfacing issue that was central to Anthropic’s clash with the Pentagon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
A contractor is resurfacing the reflecting pool that stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument – albeit with some concern over funding and the methods used.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
The island had come under repeated assault, prompting a resurfacing of Olmsted’s old anger about the compulsion of clients to tinker with his landscapes.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
