resurface
Americanverb (used with object)
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resurfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
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resurfaced,
past participle, past
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resurfacing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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resurfaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resurfaced,
past participle, past
-
resurfacing
present participle
verb
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(intr) to arise or occur again
the problem resurfaced
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(intr) to rise or cause to rise again to the surface
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(tr) to supply (something) with a new surface
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resurfacesimple
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resurfacessimple
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have resurfacedperfect
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has resurfacedperfect
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am resurfacingprogressive
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are resurfacingprogressive
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is resurfacingprogressive
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have been resurfacingperfect progressive
-
has been resurfacingperfect progressive
Past
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resurfacedsimple
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had resurfacedperfect
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was resurfacingprogressive
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were resurfacingprogressive
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had been resurfacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resurface
Explanation
To resurface is to cover something with a fresh coat, like to resurface a road with new asphalt. It also means to come back, like a problem you wanted to forget or a monster in a movie that won’t die. You can resurface a birthday cake with another layer of frosting if you discover your brother has stuck his finger in the original buttercream. Another way to resurface is to emerge or appear again, sometimes above an actual surface, like when a dolphin dives under water and then resurfaces several minutes later. The dream you forgot when you woke up might also (figuratively) resurface later in the day.
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:
But it has already become a punch line that could resurface if he runs for president.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
Aiming to resurface the pool ahead of July 4 celebrations, the government had awarded a contract to a Virginia-based company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, without a full bidding process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The idea never gained traction, Canadian officials said, and Carney didn’t try to resurface it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The crew of the diving vessel they were travelling on reported them missing when they failed to resurface later on.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
Worse, neither Marti nor anyone in the CIA knew TRIGON's fate—or if he would ever resurface.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
When she finds out what Margo’s doing, her internalized shame at having worked at Hooters once upon a time resurfaces.
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
I recently tried the “inverted filter” trend on TikTok that has been around for years and periodically resurfaces to highlight our inherent insecurities with how the world sees us.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026
Other family members expressed a desire for closure, with the DoJ quoting one family member who said "the grief resurfaces every time this case is discussed in court or other forums."
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
The balance depends on how much natural CO2 from ancient deep waters resurfaces.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2025
“I can’t believe you guys,” Simon says when he resurfaces.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
The Nasdaq composite closed at a new record earlier in the week, but stocks exposed to artificial intelligence came under pressure later on as concerns around debt and investment returns resurfaced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Two months later, and back at work, the idea resurfaced and a song spilled out.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The debate has resurfaced after the Premier League announced last week that an independent commission had found the club guilty on more than 100 charges of breaking financial rules.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Hanks, who is white and was born in Los Angeles, resurfaced to public consciousness in 2020 when he — unprompted — introduced himself at the Golden Globes red carpet with his impression of Jamaican Patois.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
As if he or she were playing on Petra and Calder’s fears, the thief resurfaced the next morning.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
It’s an argument that is easy to defend, though of course the resurfacing of these tweets has caused its own firestorm.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Swells are eroding beaches, damaging parking lots and bathrooms, and even resurfacing long-buried coastal infrastructure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Those questions kept resurfacing throughout my reporting, particularly when I stopped talking to experts and started talking to people my own age.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
It’s been hard to tell what kind of comeback Williams is pursuing—if this is a quick resurfacing to play with Venus, or if she intends to fully recommit to the tour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The island had come under repeated assault, prompting a resurfacing of Olmsted’s old anger about the compulsion of clients to tinker with his landscapes.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
