reanimate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to restore to life; resuscitate.
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to give fresh vigor, spirit, or courage to.
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to stimulate to renewed activity.
verb
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to refresh or enliven (something) again
to reanimate their enervated lives
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to bring back to life
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reanimate
Explanation
To reanimate is to bring someone (or something) back to life, or to give them renewed energy. A new lead singer might be just the thing your band needs to reanimate its concerts. You can reanimate someone in a literal way by giving them CPR after a heart attack — and you can also reanimate them more figuratively, simply by getting them excited about a fun weekend plan. Even if your friend is half asleep on a Monday morning in math class, the idea of a Saturday at the amusement park might be enough to reanimate her. The Latin root animare means "give breath to" and "endow with spirit."
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
