restore
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc..
to restore the king to his throne.
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to give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost).
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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
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to bring back to health, good spirits, etc
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to return (something lost, stolen, etc) to its owner
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to reintroduce or re-enforce
to restore discipline
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to reconstruct (an extinct animal, former landscape, etc)
Related Words
See renew.
Other Word Forms
- quasi-restored adjective
- restorable adjective
- restorableness noun
- restorer noun
- self-restoring adjective
- unrestorable adjective
- unrestored adjective
- well-restored adjective
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
"What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?" Vocabulary from the short story
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“Vaccine Controversy Shows Why We Need Markets, Not Mandates” by Ron Paul
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Chapter 20: Renaissance and Reformation
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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.
The BTG Pactual TIG-Conservation International strategy seeks to conserve, restore and reforest about 660,000 acres of degraded land, an area more than twice the size of New York City.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
It added: "We remain committed to working in partnership with the Army and MoD to restore the UK's war readiness and help support the United Kingdom's role in Nato."
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Burning reed beds is a quick way to restore them, but everyone knew it should be avoided because it killed soil invertebrates, such as snails and earthworms.
From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026
“We were able to get our neon sign guy named James to restore the whole sign,” Amaya said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
Before I began to restore these women to their dead selves through my awful work, I laid in Dracula’s tomb some of the Wafer, and so banished him from it, Un-Dead, for ever.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
