restart

verb

re·​start (ˌ)rē-ˈstärt How to pronounce restart (audio)
restarted; restarting; restarts
Synonyms of restartnext

transitive verb

1
: to start anew
2
: to resume (something, such as an activity) after interruption

intransitive verb

: to resume operation
restartable adjective

Examples of restart in a Sentence

They plan to restart negotiations next week. The tournament will restart tomorrow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Trading Alvarez, who has two more seasons of team control remaining, would yield Houston the sort of prospect haul required to restart its competitive life cycle. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 28 May 2026 Down to their last two outs, the Loganville baseball team could only recall the message that senior Jake Boland had delivered to the team in the tunnel prior to restarting the Class 5A championship game after a three-hour rain delay. Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 27 May 2026 Production will need to be restarted – slowly, over several weeks – to ensure reservoirs of crude don’t collapse, requiring re-drilling and substantial repairs. David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 May 2026 Brian Hooker told authorities that his wife fell from an 8-foot dinghy during a nighttime ride in the Abacos and was swept away with the boat keys, leaving him unable to restart the engine and forcing him to paddle for hours before reaching shore, CBS News previously reported. Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for restart

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of restart was in 1749

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Restart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restart. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

restart

verb
re·​start rē-ˈstärt How to pronounce restart (audio)
1
: to start anew
restarted the car
2
a
: to resume (as an activity) after an interruption
will restart the game
b
: to resume operation
the rides will restart after one hour
restart
ˈrē-ˌstärt
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on restart

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster