resurrect
Americanverb (used with object)
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resurrects,
present (3rd person singular)
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resurrected,
past participle, past
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resurrecting
present participle
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to raise from the dead; bring to life again.
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to bring back into use, practice, etc..
to resurrect an ancient custom.
verb (used without object)
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resurrects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resurrected,
past participle, past
-
resurrecting
present participle
verb
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to rise or raise from the dead; bring or be brought back to life
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(tr) to bring back into use or activity; revive
to resurrect an ancient law
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(tr) to renew (one's hopes, etc)
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facetious (tr) (formerly) to exhume and steal (a body) from its grave, esp in order to sell it
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resurrectsimple
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resurrectssimple
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have resurrectedperfect
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has resurrectedperfect
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am resurrectingprogressive
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are resurrectingprogressive
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is resurrectingprogressive
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have been resurrectingperfect progressive
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has been resurrectingperfect progressive
Past
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resurrectedsimple
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had resurrectedperfect
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was resurrectingprogressive
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were resurrectingprogressive
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had been resurrectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resurrect
First recorded in 1765–75; back formation from resurrection
Explanation
To resurrect is to bring someone back from the dead. You can also resurrect things that are inactive or out of use. If you've ever seen someone bring a dead person back to life in a science fiction or fantasy movie, you saw them resurrect someone. Turning someone into a zombie or vampire is a type of resurrecting, and in the Bible Jesus resurrects Lazurus. Also, this word can apply to any kind of revival. A song can resurrect faded memories. A forgotten project can be resurrected if you start it up again. Resurrecting always involves bringing something back to life.
Vocabulary lists containing resurrect
The Roman and Byzantine Empires, Lessons 1–2
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 11–September 17, 2021
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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:
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s immediate rejection of the idea brought Kushner back into the mix to see if he could resurrect a little of that old Kissinger magic.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
He used his popularity not to jump into Hollywood projects but to resurrect “Tires.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Researchers have found that the only way to resurrect the small-cap effect is to focus on small-cap stocks that are at the quality end of the “quality-versus-junk” spectrum.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
In an interview with iNews, Burnham said he wanted to resurrect the northern leg of HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester, external.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The entire animal kingdom was beyond her scope; apparently she could resurrect only the cute dead.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
It resurrects the controversial so-called "Highway to Hel" bus journey formerly run by local company PKS Gdynia.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Sometimes what’s left behind are the dredges of history and time, which Mason resurrects onstage.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
In a later chapter, Toscano resurrects another ‘70s radical, the Italian literary critic Furio Jesi, whose extraordinary insights into the “religion and mythology of death” in right-wing culture were entirely new to me.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2024
Cellulose: Made from up to 85% recycled paper and paper waste, cellulose resurrects old paper from the dead to keep your creepy cottage comfortable.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
Babe hid and resurrected chewing-gum as instinctively as a dog hides and resurrects his bones.
From Hidden Creek by Katharine Newlin Burt
As for being resurrected for Season 2, Linklater admits he pitched Dippold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
White, a former pub landlord, has resurrected his old hospitality skills to lead the front of house team, serving up dishes and chatting to guests.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
On Monday he resurrected the hoary idea of suspending the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal excise tax on gas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
Marcus Smart resurrected his career as a tenacious defender at 32 years old.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
“She went to the grove where the dog was buried, and when she arrived, she found Gwenforte, the dead dog, resurrected like Lazarus, standing on her own grave.”
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
The cost of Gary, Ind.’s blight elimination campaign, which includes demolishing part of the downtown, securing investment from local employers and resurrecting dormant neighborhoods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The BBC's filling the gap on iPlayer by resurrecting classic sets from its archive - from Radiohead in 1997 to Olivia Rodrigo last year.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Instead, Lodge, who goes by Cabot, picked up an HP-12C financial calculator and never looked back, perhaps with an eye to resurrecting the family’s business bona fides.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
During his lifetime, he amassed two million acres of land across nine states, most of which he maintained for ecological preservation, including resurrecting bison populations from the brink of extinction.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
Thus his idea did not seem worth resurrecting only to be quickly buried.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
