reanimate

verb

re·​an·​i·​mate (ˌ)rē-ˈa-nə-ˌmāt 

reanimated; reanimating; reanimates

transitive + intransitive

: to animate or become animated again: such as

a

: to bring (someone or something) back to life or to come back to life

As the defrosting jellyfish seemed to reanimate under the faucet's running water, the restaurant's chef asked if he should salt the boiling water.

—Jason Horowitz

… Nathan would sit in the kitchen … watching Eleanor smoke cigarettes and squeeze lemons into her diet Coke, of which she drank sixty ounces a day—enough, as Major Ray often declared, to reanimate a dead body.

—Michael Chabon

b

: to regain vitality or to restore vigor and zest to (someone or something)

When she reanimates, the words just spill from her, small speedy bubbles sliding under and around each other …

—Andrew Corsello

… serves to reanimate the old debates about the relationship between form and content …

—Jed Perl

reanimation

(ˌ)rē-ˌa-nə-ˈmā-shən 

noun

plural reanimations

… discusses the post-Soviet decline, fall, and reanimation of the notorious Soviet secret police agency.

—Roland Green

This isn't just a captivating retelling; it's a creative reanimation of these indelible characters who are still breathing down our necks across the millennia.

—Ron Charles

Synonyms

• recharge
• regenerate
• rejuvenate
• rekindle
• renew
• resurrect
• resuscitate
• revitalize
• revive
• revivify
• rewake
• rewaken

Examples of reanimate in a Sentence

the new multiplex has begun to reanimate the shabby neighborhood

Recent Examples on the Web

The main character was a fabrication, but her family consisted of my friends, reanimated on the page. —Gayle Forman, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024

The invention of the marathon relied on history, legend, and invention in equal parts, both reanimating the past and creating a path for new values to take hold. —Miriam Kamil, JSTOR Daily, 20 Nov. 2024

An homage to the island’s artisanal olive oil industry, events like gourmet workshops (think local chefs and mixologists playing with regional flavors) and olive oil tastings are reanimating the island’s ancient underground mills. —Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Nov. 2024

For starters, the effects reanimating Holm don’t look convincing, thereby rendering his presence distracting. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

reanimate

transitive verb

re·​an·​i·​mate (ˈ)rē-ˈan-ə-ˌmāt 

reanimated; reanimating

: to restore to life : revive

reanimation

-ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən 

noun