restore
Americanverb (used with object)
-
restores,
present (3rd person singular)
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restored,
past participle, past
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restoring
present participle
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to bring back into existence, use, or the like; reestablish.
to restore order.
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to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting.
- Synonyms:
- mend
-
to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor.
-
to put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc..
to restore the king to his throne.
-
to give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost).
-
to reproduce or reconstruct (an ancient building, extinct animal, etc.) in the original state.
- Synonyms:
- rebuild
verb
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to return (something, esp a work of art or building) to an original or former condition
-
to bring back to health, good spirits, etc
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to return (something lost, stolen, etc) to its owner
-
to reintroduce or re-enforce
to restore discipline
-
to reconstruct (an extinct animal, former landscape, etc)
Synonym Usage
See renew.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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restorablenessnoun
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restorernoun
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quasi-restoredadjective
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restorableadjective
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self-restoringadjective
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unrestorableadjective
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unrestoredadjective
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well-restoredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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restoresimple
-
restoressimple
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have restoredperfect
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has restoredperfect
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am restoringprogressive
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are restoringprogressive
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is restoringprogressive
-
have been restoringperfect progressive
-
has been restoringperfect progressive
Past
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restoredsimple
-
had restoredperfect
-
was restoringprogressive
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were restoringprogressive
-
had been restoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of restore
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English restoren, from Old French restorer, from Latin restaurāre; see re-, store
Explanation
If you restore furniture for a living, you clean and repair it to bring it back to its original beauty. When you restore something, you are simply bringing it back to what it once was. You are not making it better, nor are you adding something that wasn't there. You can restore a damaged reputation, your health, or an old house, though the latter may be easiest of those three to accomplish. If the electricity goes out, you will have to sit in the dark until the power is restored.
Vocabulary lists containing restore
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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:
Puente's successor, Carlos Cuerpo, has vowed to take all necessary measures to "restore the confidence of Spaniards in our high-speed rail".
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
It cannot, by itself, restore public trust or guarantee ethical leadership.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
“The perfect buyer found this home. Drawn to its rich history, heritage, and pedigree, he plans to restore it to its classic roots,” Rosten tells Realtor.com.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
“Throughout this campaign, we asked shareholders to give us the mandate to restore accountability, revitalize the business and return Ethan Allen to profitable growth,” Bergeron said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Once they reached the citadel, they were to restore its defunct pulley system so that their future comings and goings would not be dependent on flight.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
In the brain, it restores signaling linked to protection against inflammation and damage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Gemma was able to have a thrombectomy, which removes blood clots and restores blood flow to the brain, a procedure she has said is a "miracle treatment" that has enabled her to recover well.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Rosales restores Ever’s multi-dimensionality, reminding the world that her cousin loved mathematics and philosophy, that he never missed a day of high school, and that he was a prankster, lover, father and brother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Working alongside a largely forgotten network of women, she arranged training, negotiated visa rules, raised funds and corresponded with colleagues in Berlin and Jerusalem—the practical education in politics that Mr. Meyer restores to view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
She climbs the ladder and restores the heavy Audubon volumes to their shelf one at a time, as though putting away something irritating.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Oil is in “freefall” as markets price in a faster path to restored Strait of Hormuz crude flows, rather than another round of escalation, according to Raj.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Cinaciguat restored this signaling process, allowing the liver cells to communicate more effectively and supporting the removal of substances that otherwise tend to accumulate with age.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
The app developers temporarily disabled notifications before saying Monday that operations had been restored.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Most customers in the Dnipropetrovsk region had their connections restored by early evening, but more than 60,000 were still without power, the governor said.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
The restored treasure rested on the ivory column, the rose-gold symbols nearly faded away.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
They also hope the findings will encourage scientists studying other conditions, particularly atherosclerosis, to investigate how restoring liver function might influence disease development.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
It opposed restoring access for prayers, citing safety concerns during demolition work, a position disputed by the worshippers' lawyer.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
He claims to be restoring the rule of law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Erdogan said the talks aimed at restoring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea would continue.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
He began restoring his testing gear to his briefcase; the two Rosens watched silently.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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