reactivate

American  

[ree-ak-tuh-veyt] / riˈæk təˌveɪt /

verb (used with object)

• reactivates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reactivated,
  past participle,  past
• reactivating
  present participle

1. to render active again; revive.

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verb (used without object)

• reactivates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reactivated,
  past participle,  past
• reactivating
  present participle

1. to be active again.

reactivate British  

/ rɪˈæktɪˌveɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make (something) active or functional again

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reactivation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reactivating
  present
• reactivated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reactivate
  simple
• reactivates
  simple
• have reactivated
  perfect
• has reactivated
  perfect
• am reactivating
  progressive
• are reactivating
  progressive
• is reactivating
  progressive
• have been reactivating
  perfect progressive
• has been reactivating
  perfect progressive

Past

• reactivated
  simple
• had reactivated
  perfect
• was reactivating
  progressive
• were reactivating
  progressive
• had been reactivating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reactivate
  simple
• will have reactivated
  perfect
• will be reactivating
  progressive
• will have been reactivating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of reactivate

First recorded in 1900–05; re- + activate

Explanation

Whether it’s a slumping economy, a gym membership you let expire, or a feature on your phone that you shut off by accident, when you reactivate something, you put it back into action. In reactivate the prefix re- means "again." Added to the word activate, meaning "start," reactivate means "start again." If your email account has been shut down because of a password error, for example, you would contact tech support to reactivate it, or if you used to be part of a group that has stopped meeting, you might call the other members to see if they are interested in reactivating it, meaning start it back up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reactivate reactivates reactivated reactivating

"Instead of bypassing retinal processing, we aimed to reactivate it right at the same level of the retinal circuit as the lost photoreceptor cells."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

The results show that dormant viruses can reactivate frequently in people who appear to have functioning immune systems during severe illness, particularly when systemic inflammation is elevated.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

The lawyer says it is imperative to reactivate civil registry offices in accessible areas and intensify legal efforts to ensure children obtain their right to identity and legal recognition.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The Ministry of Energy said that protocols to reactivate the grid were underway.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

The intercom turns itself off, and I push the button to reactivate it.

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

When people receive a second vaccination quite similar to the first, it reactivates memory cells elicited by the first vaccine.

From Science Daily ● May 17, 2024

"If you ever log on to your account for any reason, even accidentally, because it is an app on your phone it reactivates and then sends a new order," she said.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2024

The scientists reported they treated seven monkeys, and then infected these animals and seven controls with simian immunodeficiency virus, which is closely related to HIV in humans and reactivates tuberculosis.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 5, 2022

Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse, was killed in the Sandy Hook shootings, said learning about every mass shooting is “like a punch in the gut every single time” that reactivates the pain and grief.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2022

Out on the street, vampires catch fire and turn into crispy critters as the UV shield reactivates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2015

“The facilities remain in the Fed’s toolbox and can be reactivated as needed,” the team wrote in an Aug. 14 client note.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Within the first 40 days after patients were admitted to the hospital, the researchers identified 11 reactivated viruses.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Later in the evening, Webb deleted his account and has not reactivated it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

In a sign of a less hostile climate in the area, several oil tankers in Iran's shadow fleet, all under international sanctions, reactivated their transponders on Tuesday and Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

A count of five later, the lights flickered on, and the crash bracelets steadied her as the board reactivated, rising smoothly up under her feet with reassuring solidness.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

The Associated Press reported that the agreement “does not include an admission of fault or liability but says the county has ended the program at issue and has no intention of reactivating it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The United States is in the process of reactivating its embassy in Caracas.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

Termination was never automatic after 13 strikes, and there was no evidence Cox ever terminated a subscriber’s account without reactivating it.

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2025

The authors are currently conducting clinical trials to stimulate the default ascending arousal network in patients with coma after traumatic brain injury, with the goal of reactivating the network and restoring consciousness.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024

The damage must prevent the sight shield from reactivating.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• revive