rebirth
Americannoun
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rebirths
plural
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a new or second birth.
the rebirth of the soul.
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a renewed existence, activity, or growth; renaissance or revival.
the rebirth of conservatism.
noun
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a revival or renaissance
the rebirth of learning
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a second or new birth; reincarnation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rebirth
Compare meaning
How does rebirth compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A rebirth can be a literal reincarnation — being born for a second time in a new body — and it can also mean a brand new beginning, like the rebirth of swing dancing in the 21st century. If you're convinced that after your goldfish died, it was born again in the form of a crow, you believe in rebirth. Many religious traditions include the concept of rebirth. Even if you're not sure about reincarnation, you might describe a renewal or revival this way: "She's hoping for a rebirth of film photography," or "The money from his dad resulted in the rebirth of his business."
Vocabulary lists containing rebirth
The Vernal Vocabulary of Spring
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"Curtis Aikens and the American Dream" and "Go For It!"
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Jimmy Carter, Speech from July 15, 1979
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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.
See Examples For:
He admitted to being fascinated by fire, and that "things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth," a detective said in the document.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
She said her campaign would start immediately to "begin the rebirth of France" - and that she would not change her mind.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
After more than 50 years without a title and decades of false starts, the Knicks' rebirth is fueling a rare level of citywide enthusiasm.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
In Bucharest, where he arrived in 1945, Paul Antschel became Paul Celan, the new name an anagrammatic rebirth from the Romanian spelling of “Ancel.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
At Easter high mass I was dizzied by the mucous perfume of white flowers at the celebration of rebirth.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Doyle has called Frick one of her “dearest friends,” writing that through “countless rebirths and untamings,” Frick has been her “constant champion, advocate and ambassador.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
According to legend, the Buddha announced shortly after being born that he would have no more rebirths, and the dragons of heaven baptized him with pure water.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
He was helped by producer Andrew Watt, a 32-year-old who has made pop hits for Post Malone and Miley Cyrus, and overseen grizzled rock rebirths for Iggy Pop and Ozzy Osbourne.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2023
Naples and Pompeii are themselves experiencing rebirths, adding an extra dimension to a show about the irrepressibility of Pompeian life.
From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2018
The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
