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.

---

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

---

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

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

The experts warned that dormant mould spores could reactivate when the overbudget and delayed facilities finally open, posing a health hazard for the lifetime of the buildings.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

This “”will inevitably reactivate the trauma of some victims…some of whom are not necessarily known to us,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

"By identifying different parasite subtypes inside cysts, our study pinpoints which ones are most likely to reactivate and cause damage," she said.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

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

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

When she reactivates, having observed the animals for some long period, she’s able to communicate with them, though they’re terrified of her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 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

Fluid injection first reactivates the fault patches through slow, aseismic slip and causing only few and small seismic events, followed by a progressive localization ultimately leading to large induced events.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 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

Water had saturated the mica schist and reactivated the old landslide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

In working with Apple to improve security, Sir Mark said only a minority of stolen phones were being reactivated compared to a few months ago, making it "harder for criminals to profit".

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

Grolite, a high-performance mineral soil conditioner, is being brought in from the Netherlands to keep the grass healthy and the original irrigation system is being reactivated.

From Barron's ● May 12, 2026

Newly reactivated jets from the black hole are pushing outward, only to be distorted and compressed by the intense pressure of the massive galaxy cluster surrounding it.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026

She never reactivated them, and she certainly never reactivated the bully models.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

But experts who spoke to AFP said that reactivating the plants would not lower electricity prices.

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 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

“We are focused on reactivating the large amount of research studies that have been on hold for over a year now,” Waldron said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2024

Cancelling the subscription again they received an email confirming the cancellation, but on 9 February they received another message thanking them for reactivating the account.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2024

The damage must prevent the sight shield from reactivating.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• revive