reanimate

American

[ree-an-uh-meyt] / ˌriˈæn əˌmeɪt /

verb (used with object)

reanimated, reanimating

to restore to life; resuscitate.
to give fresh vigor, spirit, or courage to.
to stimulate to renewed activity.

reanimate British

/ riːˈænɪmeɪt /

verb

to refresh or enliven (something) again

to reanimate their enervated lives
to bring back to life

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

reanimation noun

Etymology

Origin of reanimate

First recorded in 1605–15; re- + animate

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.

One of the pleasures here is witnessing both actors reanimate the rhythms of a long-ago conversation, their text absent the typical tidiness of a screenplay and instead an interwoven network of inflection, attitude, allusion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Who knows, maybe it’ll be a hit and they’ll figure out another way to reanimate this utterly uninspiring horror villain.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

The flowers seemed to reanimate in the candlelight, blooming and dying with each flicker.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2025

Chevron started preparing to reanimate operations at its joint ventures in Venezuela last year while submitting a license request to the U.S.

From Reuters • Jan. 4, 2023

Hazel didn’t think it was so impressive compared to the powers of a guy who could reanimate skeletons and bring people back from the dead, but it felt good to surprise him for a change.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023