reactivate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reactivate
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.
Vocabulary lists containing reactivate
Just Do It: Act
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Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 5–November 11, 2022
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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.
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
Boeing plans to reactivate a dormant production line at its Everett, Wash., factory to push 737 output higher in the coming months.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
Later, during rest, those same cells typically reactivate in the same sequence, helping the brain store the experience as a memory.
From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026
Kimmel also pretended to open a statement written for him to read aloud by Disney, before reading out the words: "How to reactivate your Disney+ subscription".
From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025
The intercom turns itself off, and I push the button to reactivate it.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
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.
