reboot

American  

[ree-boot, ree-boot, ree-boot] / riˈbut, riˈbut, ˈriˌbut /

verb (used with object)

• reboots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rebooted,
  past participle,  past
• rebooting
  present participle

1. to restart (a computer) by loading the operating system; boot again.

2. to produce a distinctly new version of (an established media franchise, as a film, TV show, video game, or comic book).

   The studio is rebooting Spider-Man.

3. to make a change in (something) in order to establish a new beginning: Lower interest rates are intended to reboot the economy.

   She’s rebooting her career.

   Lower interest rates are intended to reboot the economy.

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verb (used without object)

• reboots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rebooted,
  past participle,  past
• rebooting
  present participle

1. (of a computer) to be restarted.

noun

• reboots
  plural

1. an act or instance of restarting a computer.

2. an act or instance of making a change in order to establish a new beginning.

   a reboot of our product line.

3. a distinctly new version of an established media franchise.

   The show will be a gritty reboot of the classic TV series from the 1970s.

reboot British  

/ riːˈbuːt /

verb

1. to shut down and restart (a computer system) or (of a computer system) to shut down and restart

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reboot Cultural  

1. A term that comes from computer usage. To reboot a computer is to start it up again after a computer crash. Hence, “reboot” has the connotation of starting a process over again.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reboots
  plural

Participles

• rebooting
  present
• rebooted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reboot
  simple
• reboots
  simple
• have rebooted
  perfect
• has rebooted
  perfect
• am rebooting
  progressive
• are rebooting
  progressive
• is rebooting
  progressive
• have been rebooting
  perfect progressive
• has been rebooting
  perfect progressive

Past

• rebooted
  simple
• had rebooted
  perfect
• was rebooting
  progressive
• were rebooting
  progressive
• had been rebooting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reboot
  simple
• will have rebooted
  perfect
• will be rebooting
  progressive
• will have been rebooting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of reboot

First recorded in 1970–75; re- ( def. ) + boot ¹ (in the sense “to start a computer”)

Explanation

To reboot is to reload the operating system of a computer: to start it up again. Booting is starting a computer's operating system, so rebooting is to start it for a second or third time. Rebooting is usually necessary after a computer crashes, meaning it stops working because of a malfunction. Rebooting allows the computer to restart and get back to working normally. After a crash, the computer is useless until you reboot. This word has been extended to other types of second beginnings: when a movie series (like Spider-Man) starts over, it has been rebooted.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reboot reboots rebooted rebooting

A 2021 "reboot" heavily based on the games and a 2022 Netflix series also failed to impress.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Rhys was also nominated for drama lead actor in 2021 for his performance as Perry Mason in the HBO reboot and for comedy guest actor in 2017 for his performance as Chuck Palmer in “Girls.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

If the past is prologue, everyone will have a problem with the reboot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Even the news that ComicView, the iconic BET stand-up series, was getting a new reboot barely made waves online.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

I had only about five minutes alone to soak in a warm bath and reboot myself for what came next.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The drama, which concluded its five-season run in 1981, inspired two reboots: 2000’s “Charlie’s Angels” and its 2003 sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore, who produced the films.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

The path these men blazed led to the endless sequels and prequels, remakes and reboots, churned out by the corporate-owned, IP-obsessed studios of the 2020s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

And John Nugent, from Empire, says previous reboots have veered into the realms of parody but this revival "goes back to basics".

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

Director Fede Álvarez reboots the franchise for a new generation by deftly blending the horror of the first movie with the adrenaline-spiking action of the second, along with a little too much goofy fan service.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025

The 31-year-old actor who recently starred in Nosferatu and Juror #2 feels confident that this version of Superman will buck the trend of failed reboots.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025

Following the end of the original series it was rebooted as a film in 1979, and over the years has inspired countless comics, books and toys.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Some OpenAI developers hacked the site to get 200 water bottles, so it had to be rebooted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Netflix rebooted the animated series with “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” in 2021, and the Masters of the Universe toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

While there’s no doubt the boycott irreversibly shifted public perception of the franchise in its rebooted state, “Scream 7” managed a record-breaking opening weekend gross of $63.6 million, the franchise’s largest before inflation is adjusted.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

Piper explained her version of events—how she’d rebooted the metal dragon with charmspeak.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Billy is the star of the original “Camp Miasma” that Kris is rebooting, and she’s just given Kris permission to be as weird as she needs to be in order to come.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

Now, as the Pentagon aims to spend more than a trillion and a half dollars next year and invests in new technologies like artificial intelligence, Silicon Valley is rebooting the relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Even more frightening is the fact he's rebooting for version 2.0.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been rebooting Syria's international credentials and seeking to revive his struggling country after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

The NeuroLink comes back online, my profile rebooting in the corner of my view.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• reset