resume

resume — verb

1. to begin doing or happening again after a gap or stop — for example, resuming a

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to begin doing or happening again after a gap or stop — for example, resuming a conversation after an interruption, or resuming work after a holiday.

Example

The meeting resumed at two o'clock after a short break for lunch.

intransitive pattern: activity resumes

Femi plans to resume his English classes next month after the summer holidays.

Common collocations
  • resume talks
  • resume work
  • resume negotiations
  • resume duties
  • resume operations
  • resume activities
Synonyms
  • restart

    more informal and implies beginning from the beginning rather than continuing from where you stopped

  • continue

    broader meaning that works both with and without a pause; less formal than 'resume'

  • recommence

    formal; nearly identical in meaning to 'resume' but less common

Antonyms
  • pause

    to stop temporarily, the opposite action to resuming

  • suspend

    to stop something for a period, often formally; opposite in direction

Grammar Patterns

activity + resumes

resume + noun phrase

resume + -ing verb

Usage Note

Frequently used in formal contexts such as news reports and business communication. The intransitive pattern (the activity resumes rather than someone resumes the activity) is common when the subject is an impersonal event such as talks, negotiations, or work.

Common Mistakes

Please resume to work after the lunch break.
Please resume work after the lunch break.
'resume' takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.
We restarted the conversation where we stopped.' (when meaning 'resumed')
We resumed the conversation where we stopped.
'resume' means continuing from the same point; 'restart' means beginning again from the start.

2. to take up a particular position, place, or role once more — such as returning t

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to take up a particular position, place, or role once more — such as returning to your seat after a break, or reclaiming your duties after a period away from work.

Example

Ezra resumed his seat near the window after the fire drill ended.

resume + seat (physical position)

Professor Okonkwo resumed her position as head of the biology department in September.

Common collocations
  • resume one's seat
  • resume one's position
  • resume one's duties
  • resume one's place
  • resume one's role
  • resume one's post
Synonyms
  • return to

    broader and more common; works with both physical places and roles

  • reoccupy

    very formal; specifically means to take possession of a position or space again

  • reclaim

    implies taking back something that was rightfully yours, often with effort

Antonyms
  • leave

    to go away from a place or position, the opposite of returning to it

Grammar Patterns

resume + noun phrase (position/seat/role)

Usage Note

Takes objects that represent physical locations (seat, place) or formal roles (duties, position, post). Common in formal and official contexts. Distinguish from sense 1 (START AGAIN): sense 2's object is a position or location, not an activity.

Common Mistakes

She resumed to her seat after the break.
She resumed her seat after the break.
'resume' takes a direct object, not a prepositional phrase with 'to'.

❌ 'He resumed his reading after finding his place.' (when meaning sense 2 — returning to a position) — this belongs to sense 1 (START AGAIN). Sense 2 only applies to places, positions, or statuses.

resume — noun

Word family

  • resumption
    nounC1
  • resumed
    adjectiveC1
  • résumé
    nounB1
  • resumable
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Resume', 'restart', 'continue', and 'pick up where one left off' all describe beginning again after a stop. However, they differ in formality and meaning. 'Resume' is formal and suggests a planned or natural pause — for example, talks resume after lunch. 'Restart' implies a complete stop followed by beginning from the start, often with machines or processes — you restart a computer, not a conversation. 'Continue' is the broadest term and can mean either carrying on without interruption or picking up after a break; it works in both formal and informal settings. 'Pick up where one left off' is an informal expression that means to resume exactly at the previous stopping point, often used after a long gap — for example, 'We picked up where we left off in the tutorial.' Use 'resume' in formal writing, 'continue' in neutral contexts, and the phrasal expression in casual conversation.

resume ↗restart ↗continue ↗pick up where one left off

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • resume + -ing verb
  • resume where one left off

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'resumere' — 're-' meaning 'again' and 'sumere' meaning 'to take up, take'. It passed through French as 'résumer' before entering English in the 1400s, where it first meant 'to take back' or 'to take up again'. The noun sense meaning 'summary' appeared in the early 1800s. The meaning 'a document listing your work history' started in American English around the 1940s, shortened from the French phrase 'résumé de carrière' (career summary).