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
• pick up
• proceed (with)
• renew
• reopen
• restart

Noun

• abstract
• breviary
• brief
• capsule
• conspectus
• digest
• encapsulation
• epitome
• inventory
• outline
• précis
• recap
• recapitulation
• roundup
• run-through
• rundown
• sum
• sum-up
• summa
• summarization
• summary
• summing-up
• synopsis
• wrap-up

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

Then, after Santillan rose to his feet and resumed action, Norman finished it with a right uppercut, left uppercut combo that put his opponent down for good. —Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024

All of the city’s governing sessions were called off last week but resumed Tuesday when the public was once again able to watch council members conduct business in committee meetings via Zoom and You Tube. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2024

And then after a brief, yearlong intermission, Act II will resume on Nov. 26, 2025. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024

Hill will resume her 25th anniversary tour celebrating her Grammy-winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — which her band — The Fugees with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel has been co-headlining — later this year. —Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024

The store can resume sales for food and alcohol starting May 21 if approved by the Common Council. —Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024

The way Roberts managed Ohtani marked a promising start to one of the most important relationships in the organization — a relationship that figures to grow in importance when Ohtani resumes pitching next season. —Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024

Brad Keselowski resumes the lead after all cars cycle through pit stops. —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2024

The search continued until nightfall and was to resume Friday morning. —Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024

Noun

There’s evidence of Barrett’s football makeup scattered across his resume. —Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024

Despite his glossy Hall of Fame resume, the question remains: Can Drake reclaim his glory and recover? —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 7 May 2024

Now the airport has seen flights to destinations like Kansas City resume last summer, after 2023’s spring break, and begin to factor into the latest year’s travel statistics. —David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 7 May 2024

Having regular air service resume between Port-au-Prince and the United States is an exercise in building confidence, those involved in the effort acknowledge. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024

Still, Rau had built enough of a resume to be recruited by Elmhurst College, a NCAA Division III school in the west suburbs. —Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2024

Here are the top 10 most searched for job resumes in the U.S., according to Indeed.com. —Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 3 May 2024

The fake documents included a forged resume, college transcripts, and a diploma from the University of California, Los Angeles, according to records. —Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024

When play resumes Friday at Weatherford High School at 7 p.m. the Indians will inherit the same situation. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2024

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

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