reactivate

American  

[ree-ak-tuh-vayt] / 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

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Etymology

Origin of reactivate

First recorded in 1900–05; re- + activate

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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

California-based Pacific Coast Energy Co., among newcomers to Venezuela’s energy patch, said this week that it has started a program to reactivate 900 wells in Cabimas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

A Panamanian government commission on Wednesday recommended that President Jose Raul Mulino reactivate Central America's largest open-pit copper mine, a Canadian-owned operation that was shut down in 2023 following widespread protests.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 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

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

Piper had no idea how to reactivate him.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus can remain dormant in the body for many years, until it reactivates and becomes shingles.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2023

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

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

Geo Group has agreed to house thousands of detainees at company prisons in New Jersey, Michigan and Georgia that weren’t in use, and it has reactivated an ICE processing center in California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Petey reactivated the traps surrounding Otto, charging the air with static electricity that raised the hairs on Otto’s neck and arms.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

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

Sable, however, said it remains steadfast in its goal of reactivating the Santa Ynez Unit — a complex of three offshore platforms, onshore processing facilities and connecting pipelines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 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

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Related Words

• revive

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