resume
verb (used with object)
to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.
resume
1 American
[ri-zoom]
/ rɪˈzum /
verb (used with object)
-
resumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resumed,
past participle, past
-
resuming
present participle
-
to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.
to resume a journey.
-
to take or occupy again.
to resume one's seat.
-
to take or assume use or practice of again.
to resume her maiden name.
-
to take back.
to resume the title to a property.
verb (used without object)
-
resumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resumed,
past participle, past
-
resuming
present participle
-
to go on or continue after interruption.
The dancing is about to resume.
-
to begin again.
resume
2
American
[rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey]
/ ˈrɛz ʊˌmeɪ, ˌrɛz ʊˈmeɪ /
Sometimes
resumé
or
résumé
noun
-
a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.
-
a summing up; summary.
resume
1
British
/ rɪˈzjuːm /
verb
-
to begin again or go on with (something adjourned or interrupted)
-
(tr) to occupy again, take back, or recover
to resume one's seat
to resume possession
-
(tr) to assume (a title, office, etc) again
to resume the presidency
-
archaic to summarize; make a résumé of
résumé
2
British
/ ˈrɛzjʊˌmeɪ /
noun
-
a short descriptive summary, as of events
-
another name for curriculum vitae
Spelling
Some French words borrowed into English preserve foreign features, like accent marks: café , déjà vu , résumé , séance , etc. In French, accent marks serve two purposes. They can mark a different vowel quality (the vowels e , è and é are pronounced very differently), or they may distinguish two words that would otherwise be homographs ( ou without an accent means “or,” while où with an accent means “where”). When you use these words in English, it is correct to write them with the French accents or without; the spellings divorcée and divorcee are both accepted. Some people prefer including the accent for accuracy or to evoke a subtle European flavor. The inclusion or omission of an accent mark when naming an establishment cafe or café suggests a certain expectation for the style and tone of the place. Other people find any use of a foreign accent mark to be unnecessary and pretentious. Be aware of your audience when making this decision. As in the original French, accents are useful for differentiating between two homographs. English speakers are more likely to keep the accents in a word like résumé or exposé in order to avoid confusion with the verbs resume or expose . Words without confusable English counterparts, like deja vu or cafe , are less likely to maintain their accents in written English. Generally, the use of foreign accents for words borrowed into English is optional. However, if you do choose to use accented letters, be sure to use the correct accent and be consistent within the word. For example, déjà vu has an acute (rising) accent mark in the first syllable and a grave (falling) accent in the second. The word résumé has two acute accent marks. Avoid haphazard or false accent marking, as sometimes seen in the spellings dejá vu or resumé . The best rule to follow for foreign accent marks is all or nothing.
Usage
Spelling tips for resume There are two words that use the spelling resume, and they’re pronounced very differently, which can make things confusing. As a verb meaning “to continue,” resume is pronounced [ ri-zoom ], which can sound like it should be spelled rezoom. As a noun referring to a list of a person’s professional qualifications, resume is pronounced [ rez-oo-mey ]. To reflect this pronunciation, the noun is sometimes spelled in the French manner, with accent marks (résumé or resumé), but they are not required and it is better to avoid using them. How to spell resume: First, remember that you don’t need any accent marks to spell the noun resume. You can remember how to spell the middle part by remembering that a resume should include the sum of your professional accomplishments. Then just remember that the verb that means “to continue” is spelled the exact same way.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
resumesimple
-
resumessimple
-
have resumedperfect
-
has resumedperfect
-
am resumingprogressive
-
are resumingprogressive
-
is resumingprogressive
-
have been resumingperfect progressive
-
has been resumingperfect progressive
Past
-
resumedsimple
-
had resumedperfect
-
was resumingprogressive
-
were resumingprogressive
-
had been resumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resume1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English resumen, from Middle French resumer or directly from Latin resūmere “to take back, take again,” equivalent to re- “again, back” + sūmere “to take”; see re-, consume
Origin of resume2
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French résumé, noun use of past participle of résumer “to sum up”
Explanation
If you resume something, you start it again after stopping. You might resume singing an aria after breaking to spit out your gum. Resume is from Latin resumere "to take up again, take back," from the prefix re- "again" plus sumere "to take up, take." The Latin verb sumere is formed from the prefix sub- "under, up" plus emere "to take." When you pause a movie or game and then you press play again, what you're really doing is resuming play.
Vocabulary lists containing resume
Unit 1: Telling Details
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English Words Derived from French, List 1
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Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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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:
Though he boasts a long resume in California electoral politics, Becerra went decades without a challenging election fight — until this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The company will resume releasing models with open weights, meaning their parameters can be downloaded by anyone, something it paused after reorganizing its AI operations last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
"These trips will resume as soon as the situation stabilises and full protection is provided for the returnees."
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
For anyone keeping score, that leaves Trump’s publicly stated resume including businessman, president, golf-course owner — and, apparently, one of the world’s foremost grass experts.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
She didn’t have much time before he called them to resume.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
What began as the occasional parent ride-along to a job interview coming out of the Covid era is now full-on career “co-piloting,” said Jasmine Escalera, head career coach at résumé templates service Zety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
After 30 years of innovation in the L.A. music scene, Cut Chemist’s résumé of achievements is too long to list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
El-Sayed is not Platner; he’s been in electoral politics for nearly a decade and has a polished résumé.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
In the audio clip from the performance, we hear Deputy Chief Investigator John Goldman explaining to Weist that he is essentially constructing a résumé from her answers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Did you hire that Chris guy? His résumé looked good.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
When the cooking resumes, several salmon cakes have already been shaped and set aside.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
May 27: Boeing resumes production of the 737 MAX at low volumes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Prices for gasoline, diesel and many petrochemicals have risen even more sharply and aren’t expected to ease until normal tanker traffic through the strait resumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
"The systems are designed to withstand technical failures. If a computer crashes or power fails, the timer pauses automatically and resumes on another machine."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The silence resumes, and Bailey stares out the window, wondering what exactly constitutes nightfall.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
After a brief pause in June and July, U.S. stocks have resumed their pattern of jumping from record high to record high.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
They touched $90 early in the day as hopes for a Strait of Hormuz deal faded, then fell back after signs of de-escalation, and finally jumped up to near intraday highs as U.S. attacks resumed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain to eastern China on Monday, causing hundreds of flight cancellations even as the storm weakened and some cities resumed public transport.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Kumamoto General Hospital resumed normal outpatient services on 5 August , after suspending them following the earthquake on 28 July.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
He now resumed the book with which he had been occupied before tea.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Despite production resuming after a few days, the company has now cut its guidance from a prior target of 650,000 and 700,000 metric tons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The deal quickly fell through, as did diplomatic talks, with tit-for-tat attacks resuming just days after the MoU was signed.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Also, Iran said on Tuesday that it rejected an Omani plan for resuming traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, presenting its own proposal that would give Tehran more control over shipping in the key waterway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
A report also said mediator Pakistan was looking at resuming US-Iran peace talks, following a push initiated by China.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
He smiled and looked back down, resuming his sketching.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
