reactivate

verb

re·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˌ)rē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce reactivate (audio)
reactivated; reactivating; reactivates
1
transitive : to activate (something or someone) again
… turning the dough (gently folding it over onto itself between the first and second rises) reactivates the yeast without pressing out as much air.Erika Bruce
: such as
a(1)
: to restore (an organized group such as a military unit) to an active state (as from a state of disorganization or deactivation)
(2)
: to restore (an individual) to active duty
He was reactivated after 9/11 and sent to Afghanistan for a year.Pam Kragen
(3)
: to cause (something such as an industrial plant, society, program, or commission) to function again after a suspension of activity
Started in 1987 and reactivated two years ago, the Leadership Shelby County program takes the participants through the process of developing and launching efforts to improve the community.John Walker
b
psychology : to cause (something such as a repressed complex) to reappear in consciousness or behavior
Feelings of inferiority were reactivated by the experience.
c
medical : to cause (a quiescent disease) to become active again
tuberculosis that was reactivated by fatigue
2
intransitive : to become active again
… a painful nerve and skin disorder that occurs when the immune system weakens in older people and the virus, which never entirely leaves the body, reactivates.Alison L. Sprout

Examples of reactivate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Before the current, wider war, the Ukrainian government considered reactivating some S-200s and retrofitting them with the same new seeker Ukrainian industry had developed for the smaller S-125 air-defense system. David Axe, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Russia, meanwhile, has lost more than 3,000 armored fighting vehicles in the past year alone, the report said, but this was offset by its reactivating around 1,200 MBTs and nearly 2,500 IFVs and APCs from storage. Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024 Gilbert police are investigating 10 cases of group teen violence — five are reactivated and five are new, Soelberg said. Madeline Morrison, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2024 Goaltender Alex Lyon was placed on the injured reserve on Dec. 16 and then was reactivated on Dec. 29 and has played in three games since then, including Tuesday against the Sharks. Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, 4 Jan. 2024 While researchers are still puzzling out the cause of the complication, new research suggests that a key CAR-T manufacturing step can reactivate HHV-6 in T cells. Angus Chen, STAT, 8 Nov. 2023 By Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg January 29, 2024 10:10 PM EST Elon Musk’s X has reactivated the ability to search its social network for musician Taylor Swift, after disabling queries for her name in response to a flood of explicit deepfake images. TIME, 30 Jan. 2024 The Biden administration is considering plans to reactivate what is left of the deactivated but still present-on-paper PA security forces in Gaza, perhaps retraining around 1,000 of them as the nucleus of a larger future force. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2024 In addition to construction companies and hospitals, many in the security establishment are pushing for employment permits to be reactivated in significant numbers. Karishma Mehrotra, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reactivate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reactivate was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near reactivate

Cite this Entry

“Reactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reactivate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

reactivate

transitive verb
re·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˈ)rē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce reactivate (audio)
reactivated; reactivating
: to activate again : cause to be again active or more active: as
a
: to cause (as a repressed complex) to reappear in consciousness or behavior
persecution feelings reactivated by new social failures
b
: to cause (a quiescent disease) to become active again in an individual
a herpes infection reactivated by physical and emotional stresses
c
: to restore complement to (an inactivated serum) by addition of fresh normal serum

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