recreate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- recreative adjective
- recreatively adverb
- recreativeness noun
- recreator noun
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; 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.
“This is an important reminder that we live and recreate in rattlesnake habitat,” Dowd said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
Their position will potentially allow them to recreate the famous "Earthrise" photograph from the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026
“So rather than trying to recreate that ourselves, it made a lot of sense to bring them in, support what they’re doing and help them scale,” she added.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
It’s lively and funny, but it doesn’t reimagine the film or fully recreate its propulsive energy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Actually, Jonas thought, trying to recreate it in his mind, it wasn’t Fiona in her entirety.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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.
