1
2
3
as in to revive
to bring back to life, practice, or activity the spate of recent movies based on classic comic book characters has renewed interest in the comics themselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in to repeat
to make or do again I can only renew my offer to help—it's up to them to accept it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb renew differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of renew are refresh, rejuvenate, renovate, and restore. While all these words mean "to make like new," renew implies a restoration of what had become faded or disintegrated so that it seems like new.

efforts to renew the splendor of the old castle

When might refresh be a better fit than renew?

The words refresh and renew can be used in similar contexts, but refresh implies the supplying of something necessary to restore lost strength, animation, or power.

a refreshing drink

When is it sensible to use rejuvenate instead of renew?

In some situations, the words rejuvenate and renew are roughly equivalent. However, rejuvenate suggests the restoration of youthful vigor, powers, or appearance.

the change in jobs rejuvenated her spirits

When can renovate be used instead of renew?

The words renovate and renew are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, renovate suggests a renewing by cleansing, repairing, or rebuilding.

the apartment has been entirely renovated

When is restore a more appropriate choice than renew?

While the synonyms restore and renew are close in meaning, restore implies a return to an original state after depletion or loss.

restored a fine piece of furniture

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of renew Every voter who traveled through withering heat to the polls, that is faith renewed. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025 Leftover sludge falls to the bottom of the ponds, which are then cleaned out and refilled to renew the process. Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025 She was informed on Jan. 31 that her contract would not be renewed. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025 These days, getting a series renewed at Netflix is far from a safe bet. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for renew
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renew
Verb
  • President Trump has received pushback from several Democrat lawmakers after deploying 700 U.S. Marines to assist the police and National Guard in restoring the peace in Los Angeles.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2025
  • By contrast, Renault shares slumped as it is not yet known who will succeed De Meo, who has been credited for restoring the success at the French automotive retailer and almost doubling the value of shares in Renault.
    Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • As the co-chairman continues to push the need to channel that inner 10-year-old, the episode switches to home movie footage of the players as kids, interspersed with match action from the game against Charlton.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • Our hope is that New Yorkers will continue to keep this dynamic city the capital of capitalism.
    Time, Time, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Lake has revived claims that the agency has operated with such poor security that its networks are rife for espionage by foreign powers, assertions made by Trump's appointee to lead it in 2020, toward the end of his first term.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 20 June 2025
  • Paul George, Roy Hibbert and David West revived the team in the 2010s, only to twice run into LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
    Zak Keefer, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • This would be repeated often during the match: in a stoppage for a blow to Federico Valverde to talk to Bellingham, in the breaks for hydration to help other players or with Tchouameni during the process of reviewing a penalty decision.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 19 June 2025
  • Trump has repeated long-standing accusations that the Biden White House relied on an autopen to sign presidential pardons, executive orders and other key documents, claiming that its use cast doubt on their validity.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Even one or two minutes of the right music can refresh your brain and break the mental fatigue.
    Bronwen Sciortino, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • These Spanx deals won’t last long, so now’s the time to refresh your summer wardrobe with flattering, lightweight staples.
    Taylor Jean Stephan, People.com, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • Normal service resumed on Oct. 30 2023 with the M3 Pro and M3 Max models, with Oct 30. 2024 seeing the M4 Pro and M4 Max models (alongside the vanilla M4 model).
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
  • What To Know After the Department of Homeland Security issued a new directive instructing ICE agents to stop workplace raids, the policy was reversed on Monday, and the raids were resumed.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Most companies don’t like to promote their failures, and canceling Police Squad was undeniably a dumb move, so ABC/Disney is unlikely to want to resurrect the kind of sound bites like in the article linked above.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 June 2025
  • Which might suggest zombie action à la The Last of Us, except these resurrected have no evident interest in eating anyone’s brains, just in returning to their old lives.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • For Bailey, that includes connection, empathy, and presence, qualities that no algorithm can replicate.
    William Jones, USA Today, 26 June 2025
  • By embedding brand activations into the live environment, marketing partners aligned with the PGA Tour’s values while engaging fans in authentic, memorable ways that digital experiences can’t replicate.
    Julio Cesar Gomez, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Renew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renew. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on renew

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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