regenerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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regenerates,
present (3rd person singular)
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regenerated,
past participle, past
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regenerating
present participle
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to effect a complete moral reform in.
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to re-create, reconstitute, or make over, especially in a better form or condition.
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to revive or produce anew; bring into existence again.
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Biology. to renew or restore (a lost, removed, or injured part).
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Physics. to restore (a substance) to a favorable state or physical condition.
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Electronics. to magnify the amplification of, by relaying part of the output circuit power into the input circuit.
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Theology. to cause to be born again spiritually.
verb (used without object)
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regenerates,
present (3rd person singular)
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regenerated,
past participle, past
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regenerating
present participle
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to come into existence or be formed again.
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to reform; become regenerate.
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to produce a regenerative effect.
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to undergo regeneration.
adjective
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reconstituted or made over in a better form.
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Theology. born again spiritually.
verb
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to undergo or cause to undergo moral, spiritual, or physical renewal or invigoration
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to form or be formed again; come or bring into existence once again
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to replace (lost or damaged tissues or organs) by new growth, or to cause (such tissues) to be replaced
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chem to restore or be restored to an original physical or chemical state
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(tr) electronics (in a digital system) to reshape (distorted incoming pulses) for onward transmission
adjective
Usage
What does regenerate mean? Regenerate means to renew or restore something, especially after it has been damaged or lost. The act or process of regenerating is regeneration. Both terms are commonly used in the context of biology to refer to the regrowth of part of an organism or environment. In this sense, a close synonym is regrow. In animals, tissue, organs, or other body parts that have been injured or lost are sometimes regenerated. In some animals, regeneration happens on an even greater scale, with some being able to regrow an entire limb or tail. Environments that have been damaged or destroyed, like forests or grasslands damaged by fire, can also regenerate. Regenerate can also be used in other specific ways. In the context of religion, regenerate can mean to be spiritually reborn. In chemistry, to regenerate is to restore or be restored to an original physical or chemical state. In audio electronics, regenerate means to increase amplification through a kind of feedback process. Much less commonly, regenerate can be used as an adjective meaning restored, renewed, reborn, or morally reformed. Example: It is hoped that the experimental treatment will reduce healing time by helping tissue to regenerate more quickly.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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regeneracynoun
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regeneratenessnoun
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regeneratornoun
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nonregenerateadjective
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nonregeneratingadjective
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regenerableadjective
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regenerativeadjective
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unregenerableadjective
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unregeneratingadjective
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regenerativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regeneratesimple
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regeneratessimple
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have regeneratedperfect
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has regeneratedperfect
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am regeneratingprogressive
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are regeneratingprogressive
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is regeneratingprogressive
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have been regeneratingperfect progressive
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has been regeneratingperfect progressive
Past
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regeneratedsimple
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had regeneratedperfect
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was regeneratingprogressive
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were regeneratingprogressive
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had been regeneratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regenerate
1425–75; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin regenerātus, past participle of regenerāre to bring forth again, equivalent to re- re- + generātus; see generate
Explanation
Starfish are famous for their ability to regenerate, or regrow, a lost arm. Anything that revives in this magical way can be said to regenerate. While the verb regenerate can literally mean "produce anew," it can also describe what happens when something is fixed up, made "like new." An argument that's often made for bringing a new company, sports complex, casino, or other enterprise to a depressed area is that it will regenerate the town economically, bringing it back to life. In Latin, regeneratio means "being born again."
Vocabulary lists containing regenerate
This Week in Words: February 12 - 16, 2018
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for March 6–12, 2021
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World Without Fish
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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 good news is that researchers are developing therapies that do what was once thought impossible: regenerate cartilage, boost the knee’s natural ability to heal, and prevent cartilage breakdown in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
And a clever system allows you to spend the rage you have accumulated to regenerate your health.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The discovery challenges the long-held assumption that heart muscle lost during an attack cannot regenerate and could eventually help scientists develop new treatments for cardiovascular disease.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Company’s claims: Advanced Biotechnologies claims the BioCharger creates frequencies that mimic and regulate the body’s own natural electromagnetic frequencies, optimizing the body’s ability to heal, regenerate and regulate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
These instruments shared the ability to regenerate a held note seemingly endlessly, without a break for breath or a change in fingering.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Our enterprising Gravedigger, a true woman of science, engineers a lizard elixir and regenerates the finger into a long tentacle that eventually demands a body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
At the end of this evening's series finale, Gatwa regenerates into Billie Piper, who previously played the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
According to new research, published in Nature Communications, the researchers found that, when C. longifissura regenerates, a genetic factor that takes part in the acoel regeneration also controls how the algae inside of them reacts.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
Bamboo grows faster than eucalyptus and regenerates like a weed.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
I wipe it away quickly, but it regenerates.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
When they removed AHR from neurons or used drugs to block its activity, damaged axonal fibers regenerated more successfully.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Brittin added that the show had "regenerated multiple times in its 60-plus year history" and would "do so again".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
That gives it the right to exist and flourish, to be restored, regenerated and respected.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
It would allow us to overwhelm our adversaries with large, affordable salvos of weapons that can be built and regenerated quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
But images of Tartarus kept burning in his mind—the River Phlegethon, the blistered ground where monsters regenerated, the dark forest where arai circled overhead in the blood-mist clouds.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Their previous work showed that regenerating liver cells temporarily reprogram which genes they use.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
These trees "need natural disturbances such as fires," according to the government department Environment Canada, but suffer from repeated, intense fires that prevent them from regenerating.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
And instead of a knee or hip replacement, you could get new bone and joint treatments designed to reverse physical decline entirely by regenerating tissue in damaged joints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
A simple “Substance”-eque sequence of probiotics triggers a relaxing unconscious state, regenerating a utopian gut biome in a short six to eight weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
The idea that the maze was regenerating itself, honeycombing its way under the earth again and providing a spacious new home for monsters...that didn’t make him happy.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
