recreate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word 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.
See Examples For:
“But I don’t think Apple is trying to recreate what happened to the iPhone 17. They’re looking at the 18 cycle being more of a premium category, with the foldable leading the charge.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
The point is not to recreate Thanksgiving dinner on a Tuesday.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Using AI along with family photographs and stories from loved ones, the filmmakers recreate the moment the couple first met and fell in love 70 years earlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Today, brain organoids and related models allow researchers to recreate important features of human brain development in the laboratory.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
I'm trying to recreate something that was probably a one-in-a-billion event.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
According to organisers, 2,977 drones recreated the Twin Towers at full scale with each light representing a victim of the 9/11 attacks.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
In “102 Minutes,” it’s recreated, as is much of the show’s ornamentation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
In the museum's recreated listening rooms, visitors can hear actors reading out some of the conversations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
He’s not trying to convince himself that Paris can be recreated beside four lanes of Bakersfield traffic.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
I removed the stopwatch, notebook, pen, and iPod with the recreated playlist.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Those differences suggest that semaglutide may be doing more than simply recreating the effects of eating less.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Forecasters advise those working or recreating outdoors as well as those without air conditioning to follow the forecast this week, stay hydrated, and seek cooling centers when possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Some, like Anthony Head, come close to recreating his magic.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
MarketWatch spent the better part of a day recreating it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Finally, she tried her own drawings freehand, looking closely at the fragrant blooms, recreating their soft petals with washes of watercolor.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
