refresh
Americanverb (used with object)
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refreshes,
present (3rd person singular)
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refreshed,
past participle, past
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refreshing
present participle
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to provide new vigor and energy by rest, food, etc. (often used reflexively).
- Synonyms:
- revive
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to stimulate (the memory).
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to make fresh again; reinvigorate or cheer (a person, the mind, spirits, etc.).
- Antonyms:
- discourage, dispirit
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to freshen in appearance, color, etc., as by a restorative.
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Computers.
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to access (the most recent version of a web page) from the internet instead of from the cache.
I refreshed the page to see the current stock price before executing my online trade.
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to display (an image) repeatedly, as on a CRT, in order to prevent fading.
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to read and write (the contents of dynamic storage) at intervals in order to avoid loss of data.
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verb (used without object)
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refreshes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
refreshed,
past participle, past
-
refreshing
present participle
-
to take refreshment, especially food or drink.
-
to become fresh or vigorous again; revive.
verb
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(usually tr or reflexive) to make or become fresh or vigorous, as through rest, drink, or food; revive or reinvigorate
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(tr) to enliven (something worn or faded), as by adding new decorations
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(tr) to stimulate (the memory)
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(tr) to replenish, as with new equipment or stores
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computing to display the latest updated version (of a web page or document); reload
Usage
What does refresh mean? To refresh is to reinvigorate, renew, or restore something to its original condition or a better state. In the context of technology, refresh most commonly means to reload a web page or app in order to access the most recent or updated version of a display or feed. Example: It’s amazing how much a hot shower can really refresh your spirit.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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refreshsimple
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refreshessimple
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have refreshedperfect
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has refreshedperfect
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am refreshingprogressive
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are refreshingprogressive
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is refreshingprogressive
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have been refreshingperfect progressive
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has been refreshingperfect progressive
Past
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refreshedsimple
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had refreshedperfect
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was refreshingprogressive
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were refreshingprogressive
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had been refreshingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of refresh
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English refreschen, from Middle French refreschir, Old French. See re-, fresh
Explanation
To refresh is to renew or revive — to make someone feel newly clean or invigorated. After a long, hot run, a glass of lemonade might refresh you. You might refresh yourself by taking a shower or a nap, and you can easily refresh your breath by brushing your teeth. When you refresh your memory, you stimulate it, or get it going: "I looked over my notes to refresh my memory before the quiz." On a computer, you can refresh a page by updating it. Refresh comes from the Old French refreschier, "refresh or renew."
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:
The company plans to launch the new i9 battery SUV next month and refresh two existing battery models in the second half, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
And that’s not greatly practical for smartphone devotees, who are already getting a truncated image of one weather possibility that was sent before the model was scheduled to refresh.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
You refresh a feed for news of a village whose name your relatives say with their whole mouths and you say with an accent that gives you away.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Investors who were hoping that a strong second-quarter earnings season would help to refresh it were sorely disappointed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
After they removed the coffin to the street, the santeros broke a clay urn behind Felicia’s old De Soto, the funeral car, and sprinkled it with cold water to refresh her for the final journey.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Since the pandemic, wardrobe refreshes have skewed more formal.
From MarketWatch ● May 31, 2026
Overall, "this will result, between now and 2030, in more than 60 new vehicle launches and 50 significant refreshes, across all brands and powertrain energies".
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
The struggle between man and nature is also a frequent subject, one that Ms. Iturbide constantly refreshes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
“Tesla’s refreshes are pretty modest, and they’re driven by improving profitability,” said Ed Niedermeyer, who has written a book about Tesla and is working on a follow-up.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2025
But Farmer likes being grounded in the kind of obscurity, away from the media and spotlight, that refreshes his passion and authority; doctoring to the poor is his ultimate source of power.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The more frequently droplets appear and depart, the more often the surface is refreshed, allowing heat to move through it more efficiently.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Later, Barragan signed paperwork to change his answers to those deposition questions, saying he “found documents that refreshed my recollection” and that he did, in fact, author the inquiry and request for a criminal investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
He says parents should encourage their children to take a break from their education, so they return to school in September "feeling really confident and refreshed".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The new AI model powering Apple’s refreshed Siri AI was distilled from Google’s models under an agreement between the companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Ring misseth, maybe, the heat of Sauron’s hand, which was black and yet burned like fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed; and maybe were the gold made hot again, the writing would be refreshed.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
It was old-school, but not parochial, Beethoven, which proved refreshing on a warm night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
She sees masking research as part of a "refreshing change" as autistic academics "bring lived experience into research".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
With “Her Private Hell,” Thatcher has found an auteur who matches her refreshing self-assurance.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
“There’s a lot of refreshing of how the shoes can be worn.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
He was also, strange as it is to say, a refreshing sort of female presence in a place where macho was the rule.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
