revive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to activate, set in motion, or take up again; renew.
to revive old feuds.
- Synonyms:
- reactivate
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to restore to life or consciousness.
We revived him with artificial respiration.
- Synonyms:
- resuscitate, reanimate, revitalize
- Antonyms:
- kill
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to put on or show (an old play or motion picture) again.
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to make operative or valid again.
- Synonyms:
- reactivate
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to bring back into notice, use, or currency.
to revive a subject of discussion.
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to quicken or renew in the mind; bring back.
to revive memories.
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to reanimate or cheer (the spirit, heart, etc., or a person).
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Chemistry. to restore or reduce to the natural or uncombined state, as a metal.
verb (used without object)
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to return to life, consciousness, vigor, strength, or a flourishing condition.
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to recover from financial depression.
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to be quickened, restored, or renewed, as hope, confidence, suspicions, or memories.
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to return to notice, use, or currency, as a subject, practice, or doctrine.
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to become operative or valid again.
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Chemistry. to recover the natural or uncombined state, as a metal.
verb
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to bring or be brought back to life, consciousness, or strength; resuscitate or be resuscitated
revived by a drop of whisky
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to give or assume new vitality; flourish again or cause to flourish again
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to make or become operative or active again
the youth movement was revived
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to bring or come into use or currency again
to revive a language
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(tr) to take up again
he revived his old hobby
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to bring or come back to mind
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(tr) theatre to mount a new production of (an old play)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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revivabilitynoun
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revivernoun
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revivableadjective
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revivingadjective
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unrevivableadjective
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unrevivedadjective
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revivablyadverb
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revivinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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revivesimple
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revivessimple
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have revivedperfect
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has revivedperfect
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am revivingprogressive
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are revivingprogressive
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is revivingprogressive
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have been revivingperfect progressive
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has been revivingperfect progressive
Past
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revivedsimple
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had revivedperfect
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was revivingprogressive
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were revivingprogressive
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had been revivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of revive
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English reviven, from Latin revīvere “to live again,” from re- re- + vīvere “to live” ( cf. vital)
Explanation
To revive something is to provide it with new energy or life, like when you revive a drooping plant by watering it, or when you revive a boring party by breaking out the karaoke machine. Revive comes from the Latin roots re-, meaning “again,” and vivere, meaning “to live.” So, the word revive means “live again.” While the possibility of bringing folks back from the dead isn’t something we’re qualified to comment on, we will note that revive can be used in a sense that’s very close to its literal meaning; specifically, revive can mean “cause someone to regain consciousness.”
Vocabulary lists containing revive
A Long Walk to Water
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Out of the Dust
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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.
But the slew of announcements, coupled with Micron’s strong results, could help revive faith in the AI trade.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
But a rebound above $4,800 would be needed to revive investors’ confidence that gold could move back toward its highs from earlier this year, he said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
Lauer reflected on his experience as a first-round pick turned journeyman who went to South Korea to revive his career.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
This documentary traces Banana Ball’s traditions back to the Indianapolis Clowns, chronicling the recent efforts to revive the team in the barnstorming league.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
It took a while for the doctor to revive her husband and even longer to elicit, through the man’s broken English, what he’d said that so enraged his wife.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
