resurrect

[ rez-uh-rekt ]

/ ˌrɛz əˈrɛkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR resurrect ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to raise from the dead; bring to life again.

to bring back into use, practice, etc.: to resurrect an ancient custom.

verb (used without object)

to rise from the dead.

Nearby words

Origin of resurrect

First recorded in 1765–75; back formation from resurrection

Related formsres·ur·rec·tor, nounun·res·ur·rect·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for resurrect

How might we resurrect a tradition threatened with extinction?
Can Baseball’s All-Star Game Be Saved?|Peter C. Bjarkman|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His goal, he said at the time, was to “resurrect something that my family built.”
Pancakes and Pickaninnies: The Saga of ‘Sambo’s,’ The ‘Racist’ Restaurant Chain America Once Loved|Andrew Romano|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was that basic desire that the justices in Gregg relied upon to resurrect the death penalty.
The Supreme Court Will Never Kill the Death Penalty, Even With Botched Executions|Mike Sacks|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She used her new powers to save the Doctor, defeat the Daleks, and to resurrect Captain Jack Harkness.
A Primer For Doctor Who’s ‘Day of the Doctor’ Episode|Chancellor Agard|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I had never heard of him either, and I very much wanted to resurrect him and people like him.
The Man Who Made America: Simone Winchester Talks New Book|Eric Herschthal|October 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From those cells we can resurrect any one of whom we have an identification plate.
The Victor|Bryce Walton
We shall hang the dog, and then resurrect the master; for, Viola!
Faithful Margaret|Annie Ashmore
Hence it is impossible to resurrect two bodies out of the material common to both.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik
It is difficult now to resurrect the mind of society preceding the time of the great Civil War.
The Soul of John Brown|Stephen Graham
He must at least see the grave of his hope and Zora's, and out of it resurrect new love and strength.
The Quest of the Silver Fleece|W. E. B. Du Bois

British Dictionary definitions for resurrect

resurrect

/ (ˌrɛzəˈrɛkt) /

verb

to rise or raise from the dead; bring or be brought back to life

(tr) to bring back into use or activity; reviveto resurrect an ancient law

(tr) to renew (one's hopes, etc)

(tr) facetious (formerly) to exhume and steal (a body) from its grave, esp in order to sell it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for resurrect

resurrect

1772, back-formation from resurrection. Related: Resurrected; resurrecting. "The correct form is resurge, which, however, is intransitive only, whereas the verb resurrect can be used both as transitive and intransitive ..." [Klein]. Related: Resurrected; resurrecting.