resuscitate
verb
re·sus·ci·tate
ri-ˈsə-sə-ˌtāt 
resuscitated; resuscitating
: to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness
also
: revitalize
Did you know?
The 16th century was a good one for words ending in the suffix -ate. Not only did our featured word, resuscitate, breathe life into the English language but so did the verbs anticipate ("to give advance thought, discussion, or treatment to"), eradicate ("to do away with completely"), estimate ("to esteem" or "to appraise"), and perpetuate ("to make perpetual"). It was a good century for words about words, too—vocabulary, quip, and hearsay all premiered as well.
Examples of resuscitate in a Sentence
The patient stopped breathing but doctors were able to resuscitate him.
she hopes to resuscitate the currently defunct charity organization
Recent Examples on the Web
Once lost, the OLC check will be extremely difficult to resuscitate in a future administration.
—
Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 28 Apr. 2025
Bates is, of course, an Oscar-winning actress, as well as a two-time Emmy winner (and 14-time nominee) who helped resuscitate an outdated lawyer show into a hit for CBS, becoming in the process a kind of brand ambassador for network TV.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2025
Why Resuscitate Coal? There are two main reasons why President Trump acted to resuscitate coal.
—Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Daum has always written rather ruthlessly about her parents, and there are some vividly unpleasant details in her account of her father’s death, including the bones broken by the EMTs who tried to resuscitate him and the tilting of his body to fit into his apartment building’s elevator.
—Charles Arrowsmith, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for resuscitate
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Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 28 Apr. 2025
Bates is, of course, an Oscar-winning actress, as well as a two-time Emmy winner (and 14-time nominee) who helped resuscitate an outdated lawyer show into a hit for CBS, becoming in the process a kind of brand ambassador for network TV.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2025
Why Resuscitate Coal? There are two main reasons why President Trump acted to resuscitate coal.
—Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Daum has always written rather ruthlessly about her parents, and there are some vividly unpleasant details in her account of her father’s death, including the bones broken by the EMTs who tried to resuscitate him and the tilting of his body to fit into his apartment building’s elevator.
—Charles Arrowsmith, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for resuscitate
Cite this Entry
“Resuscitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resuscitate. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
resuscitate
verb
re·sus·ci·tate
ri-ˈsəs-ə-ˌtāt
resuscitated; resuscitating
1
: to bring back from apparent death or from unconsciousness
2
Medical Definition
resuscitate
transitive verb
re·sus·ci·tate
ri-ˈsəs-ə-ˌtāt
resuscitated; resuscitating
: to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness
resuscitate a nearly drowned person by artificial respiration
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