recreate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of recreate
1425–75; late Middle English recreaten < Latin recreātus (past participle of recreāre to create again, revive), equivalent to re- re- + creātus; see create
Explanation
To recreate means to give new life to something, to redo, or remake it. Say you become a billionaire and you grow tired of your mansion, try recreating your childhood home on your estate, so you can retire modestly. To recreate literally means to create over. If the mural you painted on the outside of your home was damaged in a flood, you might want to recreate it with waterproof paint. Recreate can also mean reimagine. If you become the principal of your old high school, you could throw out the old subjects and recreate high school education as everlasting game day. Recreate can also mean to play — it gives us the word recreation.
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.
O’Donnell tailored early versions of Canary to recreate parts of his past workflow, aiming to appeal to short sellers, his specialty at Tiger.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
You are not trying to recreate the first deal in valuation terms.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
He created an elite US-trained police unit with expanded investigative and operational powers who patrol with military-grade weapons -- a model he would later recreate at the federal level.
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
"All Michael does is recreate, in mechanical style, the most famous visuals of Jackson's career," she said.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Joseph put on the broken watch and decided to recreate the beloved study he remembered from America.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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.
