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:
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
But after two overly miserable years, Andy Burnham's talent and long-burning ambition give him a chance at No 10 and offer Labour a chance to resurrect themselves.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
For almost 35 years, he has been on a mission to resurrect, clarify and strengthen neglected constitutional principles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Scary Movie’s” one genuinely ingenious move is to resurrect actors without shame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
“Enough with the games. We know Maria is trying to resurrect Vladimir for you!”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
It resurrects the controversial so-called "Highway to Hel" bus journey formerly run by local company PKS Gdynia.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 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
Blakemore’s killer memoir “Stage Blood” resurrects the early days of the National Theatre under the aegis of Laurence Olivier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
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
The Stoics return to Heracleitus for their physics, Epicurus resurrects the atomism of Democritus.
From A Critical History of Greek Philosophy by Stace, W. T. (Walter Terence)
Plans were approved, then mothballed, and then resurrected.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
It appears to be curtains again for “All My Children,” the soap opera that ran four decades on ABC before being canceled, then resurrected as an Internet series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
“Obviously someone is,” Fraser said, “because someone resurrected that monument.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Marcus Smart resurrected his career as a tenacious defender at 32 years old.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
But tonight, the Gladers ate like dead men resurrected for one last meal before being sent to live with the devil.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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
Admirable though Mr. Lynn’s dedication to resurrecting Wilder’s unfinished work may be, the production affirms what Wilder seems to have deduced about the play: that he could never quite realize his ambitions for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 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
Maybe the joy brought by Holi is England's last hope of resurrecting that from deep within because England, Brook and McCullum need Buttler now as much as ever.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
There, and in a private meeting with Hitler, he had been mesmerized, as many visiting Americans were, by Hitler’s force of personality and by his undeniable accomplishments in resurrecting Germany’s economy.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
