restore
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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)
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
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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
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have been restoringperfect progressive
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has been restoringperfect progressive
Past
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restoredsimple
-
had restoredperfect
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was restoringprogressive
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were restoringprogressive
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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
"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.
See Examples For:
“Mr. Curtis was appointed to enhance transparency, strengthen election integrity, and restore trust in the democratic process,” the county wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The company, which reported $20 billion in revenue in 2025, said it doesn’t know when it will be able to restore systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
"Instead, the goal is to restore the balance."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
SpaceX said it would also work with state and federal agencies to restore wetlands and protect the state’s shoreline.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
“I pray your virtues will restore him, that honor may come upon you both,” she whispered.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
Refertilization occurs when magma restores chemical components to mantle rock that previously lost them during partial melting.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
“She will not accept a recovery process that restores the status quo. She is committed to ensuring this community is safer moving forward than it was before the fire began.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
"Nature restores and reestablishes itself very quickly," she said, noting that whilst the freshly-broken ground looks harsh, it will soon "become more natural."
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 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
A cuneiform text attributed to King Tukultī-Ninurta II refers to a libation vessel that had originally been created by Tukultī-Ninurta I and was later restored by Aššur-uballit.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
One Destination’ is our creed, and we’re excited to see this institution restored and reinvigorated, as Leimert Park Village continues to thrive,” Brooks-Petty said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
When their daughter became Elizabeth I in 1558, she restored Anne’s title and Anne’s image joined the legitimating Tudor lineup that proliferated in the long galleries of Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Along the disused line from Woljeong-ri towards Baengmagoji station to the south -- the section to be restored under the peace project -- vegetation crowds both sides of the tracks, nearly swallowing a stone wall.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
But at last the bones had regained flesh; the empty eyepits had filled up and the new eyes had seen, while meantime the restored beaks and mouths had cackled, barked, and caterwauled.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
The results call into question the common assumption that restoring species-rich grassland necessarily requires commercial seed mixes or other expensive measures.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
In addition to restoring the sale of American booze, Canada is said to be considering allowing American dairy producers greater access to its market.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Ternus’s challenge will be to preserve the profitable machine Cook built while restoring a stronger sense of technological surprise.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
State officials say agencies have committed $2.9 billion under the program, much of which will go toward restoring aquatic habitat for fish in the Delta.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Adjoining the den was a furnace room, which contained a tool-littered table piled with some of his other works-in- progress—an amplifying unit, an elderly wind-up Victrola that he was restoring to service.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
