regenerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to effect a complete moral reform in.
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to re-create, reconstitute, or make over, especially in a better form or condition.
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to revive or produce anew; bring into existence again.
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Biology. to renew or restore (a lost, removed, or injured part).
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Physics. to restore (a substance) to a favorable state or physical condition.
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Electronics. to magnify the amplification of, by relaying part of the output circuit power into the input circuit.
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Theology. to cause to be born again spiritually.
verb (used without object)
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to come into existence or be formed again.
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to reform; become regenerate.
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to produce a regenerative effect.
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to undergo regeneration.
adjective
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reconstituted or made over in a better form.
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Theology. born again spiritually.
verb
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to undergo or cause to undergo moral, spiritual, or physical renewal or invigoration
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to form or be formed again; come or bring into existence once again
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to replace (lost or damaged tissues or organs) by new growth, or to cause (such tissues) to be replaced
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chem to restore or be restored to an original physical or chemical state
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(tr) electronics (in a digital system) to reshape (distorted incoming pulses) for onward transmission
adjective
Usage
What does regenerate mean? Regenerate means to renew or restore something, especially after it has been damaged or lost. The act or process of regenerating is regeneration. Both terms are commonly used in the context of biology to refer to the regrowth of part of an organism or environment. In this sense, a close synonym is regrow. In animals, tissue, organs, or other body parts that have been injured or lost are sometimes regenerated. In some animals, regeneration happens on an even greater scale, with some being able to regrow an entire limb or tail. Environments that have been damaged or destroyed, like forests or grasslands damaged by fire, can also regenerate. Regenerate can also be used in other specific ways. In the context of religion, regenerate can mean to be spiritually reborn. In chemistry, to regenerate is to restore or be restored to an original physical or chemical state. In audio electronics, regenerate means to increase amplification through a kind of feedback process. Much less commonly, regenerate can be used as an adjective meaning restored, renewed, reborn, or morally reformed. Example: It is hoped that the experimental treatment will reduce healing time by helping tissue to regenerate more quickly.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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regeneracynoun
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regeneratenessnoun
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regeneratornoun
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nonregenerateadjective
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nonregeneratingadjective
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regenerableadjective
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regenerativeadjective
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unregenerableadjective
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unregeneratingadjective
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regenerativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regeneratesimple
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regeneratessimple
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have regeneratedperfect
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has regeneratedperfect
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am regeneratingprogressive
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are regeneratingprogressive
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is regeneratingprogressive
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have been regeneratingperfect progressive
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has been regeneratingperfect progressive
Past
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regeneratedsimple
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had regeneratedperfect
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was regeneratingprogressive
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were regeneratingprogressive
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had been regeneratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regenerate
1425–75; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin regenerātus, past participle of regenerāre to bring forth again, equivalent to re- re- + generātus; see generate
Explanation
Starfish are famous for their ability to regenerate, or regrow, a lost arm. Anything that revives in this magical way can be said to regenerate. While the verb regenerate can literally mean "produce anew," it can also describe what happens when something is fixed up, made "like new." An argument that's often made for bringing a new company, sports complex, casino, or other enterprise to a depressed area is that it will regenerate the town economically, bringing it back to life. In Latin, regeneratio means "being born again."
Vocabulary lists containing regenerate
This Week in Words: February 12 - 16, 2018
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World Without Fish
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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:
I’m not a hermit, but I live in Wales, and I’m trying to regenerate the land and all this stuff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
That government established a £5bn levelling up fund, external to, among other things, regenerate high streets and upgrade local transport.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Blackpool council is halfway through a £2 billion program to regenerate the town and has taken direct control of a number of tourist attractions, including the local waxworks museum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
At Duke and the University of Colorado Boulder, researchers are developing injectable therapies that regenerate joint tissue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
For the first time in his life he did not despise the proles or think of them merely as an inert force which would one day spring to life and regenerate the world.
From "1984" by George Orwell
The carbamates -- compounds with a range of uses in industry, agriculture and medicine -- are released during the water immersion that regenerates the MOF's pristine structure, making it reusable for ongoing carbon capture.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024
Bamboo grows faster than eucalyptus and regenerates like a weed.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
At the end of an actor's tenure as the Doctor, the character "regenerates" with somebody else then taking on the extra-terrestrial role.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2023
When I ask about jararanko, he says “the lizard has a healing property that is astringent—it absorbs bruises and regenerates fractures or fissures.”
From National Geographic ● Oct. 26, 2023
I wipe it away quickly, but it regenerates.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
It was to follow on from the series finale in May 2025, in which Ncuti Gatwa's incarnation of the Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper, who previously played the Doctor's assistant, Rose.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
That gives it the right to exist and flourish, to be restored, regenerated and respected.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
It could also be regenerated at temperatures ranging from 700-1000 oC, roughly 500 oC lower than current approaches.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026
It would allow us to overwhelm our adversaries with large, affordable salvos of weapons that can be built and regenerated quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
This xenograft, as it’s called, would stay in place until the underlying tissue had regenerated enough to supply blood to the skin graft.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
These trees "need natural disturbances such as fires," according to the government department Environment Canada, but suffer from repeated, intense fires that prevent them from regenerating.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
When Mary shows up unexpectedly, asking Sam for the two things she won’t provide — forgiveness and a dress — the pair slowly find their bond regenerating, pulled back together by forces outside their control.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
A simple “Substance”-eque sequence of probiotics triggers a relaxing unconscious state, regenerating a utopian gut biome in a short six to eight weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
They set about regenerating both the estate and the building, which was designed by architect William Adam in 1760 as a home for the 5th Earl of Dumfries.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
Evil was always here, regenerating, bubbling under the surface.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
