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• resume
  resume

  verb (used with object)

  to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.
• résumé
  résumé

  noun

  a short descriptive summary, as of events

Trivia Time

Resume, in the sense of "a written account of professional qualifications," comes from a French word meaning what?

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resume

¹ American  

[ri-zoom] / rɪˈzum /

verb (used with object)

• resumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resumed,
  past participle,  past
• resuming
  present participle

1. to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.

   to resume a journey.

2. to take or occupy again.

   to resume one's seat.

3. to take or assume use or practice of again.

   to resume her maiden name.

4. to take back.

   to resume the title to a property.

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verb (used without object)

• resumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resumed,
  past participle,  past
• resuming
  present participle

1. to go on or continue after interruption.

   The dancing is about to resume.

2. to begin again.

resume ² American  

[rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey] / ˈrɛz ʊˌmeɪ, ˌrɛz ʊˈmeɪ /

Sometimes resumé or résumé

noun

1. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

2. a summing up; summary.

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resume ¹ British  

/ rɪˈzjuːm /

verb

1. to begin again or go on with (something adjourned or interrupted)

2. (tr) to occupy again, take back, or recover

   to resume one's seat

   to resume possession

3. (tr) to assume (a title, office, etc) again

   to resume the presidency

4. archaic to summarize; make a résumé of

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résumé ² British  

/ ˈrɛzjʊˌmeɪ /

noun

1. a short descriptive summary, as of events

2. another name for curriculum vitae

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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

• resumer
  noun
• resumable
  adjective
• unresumed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• resuming
  present
• resumed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resume
  simple
• resumes
  simple
• have resumed
  perfect
• has resumed
  perfect
• am resuming
  progressive
• are resuming
  progressive
• is resuming
  progressive
• have been resuming
  perfect progressive
• has been resuming
  perfect progressive

Past

• resumed
  simple
• had resumed
  perfect
• was resuming
  progressive
• were resuming
  progressive
• had been resuming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resume
  simple
• will have resumed
  perfect
• will be resuming
  progressive
• will have been resuming
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resume résumé resumes resumed resuming

In the eurozone, demand for bonds will come under intense scrutiny this month as Europeans return from holidays and national debt agencies also resume auctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The whistleblower also said that Postal Service leaders ordered employees to resume work on the system about a month ago, while it was barred by the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The question on the ballot was: "Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?"

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Iceland's closely fought referendum on whether to resume membership talks with the European Union is going down to wire, with the result too close to call.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

I will keep my chin up and hopefully resume writing all the whos, whats, whys, whens, and wheres by next week.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

But despite that lack of résumé, Graham triumphed on Tuesday.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Then again, with a major financial advantage and a flawed opponent, she didn’t need a résumé.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Plus, the latest in a tit-for-tat trade conflict with Canada, and a trick to get your résumé a second look by recruiters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

“I reviewed a résumé that listed ‘olive oil’ as an interest,” wrote the anonymous poster, who did not respond to a request for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

“What about the other website that came up below this one? The résumé one—it might say where she’s lived.”

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Scammers can use publicly available career data on social-media sites or resumes posted on job sites as a resource, Lee said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026

“The Diplomat” resumes for its fourth season Thursday, Oct.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

My peers use it to reteach confusing classes, polish papers and resumes, learn skills like coding and complete tedious tasks in seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Formula 1 is now on it summer break before the season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix, from 21-23 August.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

But no matter how many resumes Dad had sent, he still hadn’t found another job.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Official Russian government statistics show the price of gas is up 19% this year and recently resumed climbing after a dip in August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

After a roughly 20-minute interruption, play resumed, with McEnroe finally winning at 12:35 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Play resumed and Sabalenka won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

"Manus has formally resumed independent operations," the company said in a statement posted to its website.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

As if on cue, the howling duet in the distance resumed.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Talwani, in a ruling last week, criticized the Postal Service for resuming work on the project.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Equally, the No vote would not rule out the chance of Iceland resuming talks in the future.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Also, “Iran and Oman discussed the importance of resuming navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” the analysts note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Edwin Díaz will be used in less-stressful situations upon his return from neck inflammation before potentially resuming closing responsibilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Before resuming the search I spat twice on my right palm and parted the spittle with my left forefinger, watching to see where the most spit went.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• continue
• go on
• proceed
• regain
• reopen
• restart
• return to
• take up