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:
And after canceling its money-losing electric F-150 Lightning truck last December, Ford says it will resurrect that truck as an EREV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
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
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
As such, he’s a step out of sync with contemporary kids’ filmmakers who tend to chase trends or resurrect the retro toys of their own youth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Unfortunately, this theory would also retroactively outlaw choreograph, diagnose, resurrect, edit, sculpt, sleepwalk, and hundreds of other verbs that have become completely unexceptionable.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
The film resurrects the story of sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, modern day witches who face a curse that sees any man they fall in love with doomed to an early death.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Another massive piece, “Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE,” resurrects the medieval city of Kumbi Saleh, the capital of the ancient Ghanaian empire, as a gleaming, futuristic hub.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
On Symmetry he even resurrects Shape Of You's analogy of two bodies pulling together like magnets.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
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
Lo, Spring comes forth with all her warmth and love, She brings sweet justice from the realms above; She breaks the chrysalis, she resurrects the dead; Two butterflies ascend encircling her head.
From Leaves of Life For Daily Inspiration by Margaret Bird Steinmetz
What we have here might be an example of the Tinkerbell effect, named for the “Peter Pan” character who could be resurrected from death by audience participation, i.e. belief in fairies.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 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
But these are all previously animated ideas resurrected pretty much as we’ve already seen them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
President Trump resurrected the deal and approved it on the condition that Nippon Steel increased its investments in U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 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
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
Colossal’s latest announcement was that it has hatched 26 chickens in an “artificial egg” — a “foundational step,” it said, “toward resurrecting extinct bird species” such as the New Zealand giant moa and the dodo.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
The virus that started with an outbreak on a cruise ship has infiltrated the public consciousness, and it feels like déjà vu: resurrecting painful memories of the Covid-19 pandemic that shut down the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 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
“I’m new at this; you’re resurrecting the human in me, and everything feels stronger because it’s fresh.”
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
