resume

1 of 2

verb

re·​sume ri-ˈzüm 

resumed; resuming; resumes

transitive verb

1

: to assume or take again : reoccupy

… resumed his seat by the fire …

—Thomas Hardy

When the break was over and I'd resumed my place on the stand, the teacher asked for a twenty-minute pose and gave me a stool.

—Elizabeth Hollander

2

: to return to or begin (something) again after interruption

She resumed her work.

When official mourning was over, Soviet television resumed its normal pace.

—Bel Kaufman

Her face was changing, resuming its usual expression of gleeful malice.

—Gail Carson Levine

3

: to take (something) back to oneself : reclaim

If Waukeshaw Development fails to meet the requirements in the agreement, the town can foreclose on the property and resume ownership.

—Shannon Keith

4

: to pick (something) up again : to go back to using or doing (something, such as a way of behaving)

resume an old habit

The very idea of resuming smoking is so loathsome that it drives the thought out of my head.

—A. M. Rosenthal

She soon got tired of him and banished him, resuming her way of living as a free spinster.

—George Bernard Shaw

After a quarter-century of creative silence, Goldschmidt resumed composing.

—Norman Lebrecht

intransitive verb

: to begin again after a pause or interruption

… emerged from the courthouse the day the trial resumed …

—Amy Waldman

résumé

2 of 2

noun

ré·​su·​mé ˈre-zə-ˌmā 

ˌre-zə-ˈmā,

 also  ˈrā-zə-ˌmā,

 or  ˌrā-zə-ˈmā

variants or resume or less commonly resumé

plural résumés or resumes also resumés

1

US

a

: a short account of one's career and qualifications : curriculum vitae

For the internship, I submitted my résumé, work samples, and a cover letter.

—Tami Nguyen

… a 90-minute telephone interview with a personnel manager at Intel, who has forwarded the resume to the hiring manager …

—Hal Lancaster

b

: a set of accomplishments

a musical résumé

[Lucy] Liu's artistic resume is an impressive one; her website displays sculptural works in wood, resin, and bronze, as well as embroidery, silkscreen, assemblage, a Jasper Johns-style deconstructed American flag, and more.

—Emma Specter

2

formal : summary

He gave a resume of the club's activities throughout the year.

—Farming Life

… the business of the evening commenced with a resume of the events that had taken place over the summer.

—The Stourbridge (England) News

Synonyms

Verb

• continue
• restart
• reopen

Noun

• summary
• digest
• sum

Examples of resume in a Sentence

Verb

The game resumed after the rain stopped.

After the rain stopped, the teams resumed play.

She sat down and resumed her work.

He shook his visitor's hand and resumed his seat.

I resumed my place at the podium.

She will be resuming her position at the company.

Noun

If you would like to be considered for the job, please submit your résumé.

His musical résumé includes performances at Carnegie Hall, a stint with the New York Philharmonic, and two Grammys.

a brief résumé of the news

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

On an extended trip to Messina, Haeckel set about resuming Müller’s radiolarian work. —Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025

The cruise ship, which can accommodate over 4,000 passengers, resumed its itinerary after the operation, according to USA Today. —Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025

Direct flights have resumed between India and China after a five-year hiatus, the latest sign of warming relations between the world’s two most populous countries. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025

While payments were originally set to resume in 2023, President Joe Biden provided an additional one-year grace period, delaying the start repayment requirements to October 2024. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French resumer, from Latin resumere, from re- + sumere to take up, take — more at consume

Noun

French résumé, from past participle of résumer to resume, summarize, from Middle French resumer

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for resume

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume
• costume

Kids Definition

resume

1 of 2 verb

re·​sume ri-ˈzüm 

resumed; resuming

1

: to take again : occupy again

resume your seats

2

: to begin again or go back to

resumed the game the next day

résumé

2 of 2 noun

ré·​su·​mé

variants or resume also resumé

ˈrez-ə-ˌmā

1

formal : a brief statement : summary

a résumé of the news

2

: a short account of one's career and qualifications for a job