resurrect

resurrect — verb

1. to restore a creature that has died to life again, especially through a miracle,

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to restore a creature that has died to life again, especially through a miracle, supernatural event, or imagined technology.

Example

Temple carvings say the goddess Isis resurrected her husband Osiris from the dead.

resurrect + from the dead (prepositional complement)

Roya read a novel where a wizard resurrects a fallen dragon using an ancient spell.

Common collocations
  • resurrect the dead
  • resurrect from the dead
  • resurrect [someone] from the grave
Synonyms
  • raise

    used especially in religious contexts ('raise the dead'); shorter and more biblical in tone

  • bring back to life

    longer phrasal equivalent; more literal and less figurative than 'resurrect'

  • revive

    suggests restoring consciousness or strength; broader and less tied to the idea of permanent death

Antonyms
  • kill

    direct opposite; to cause death rather than undo it

Grammar Patterns

resurrect + person/creature (+ from + noun phrase)

Usage Note

This sense appears most often in religious, mythological, or fantasy narratives. It nearly always describes an act of supernatural or extraordinary agency — not a medical revival.

Common Mistakes

The doctor resurrected the patient after cardiac arrest.
The doctor revived the patient after cardiac arrest.
'resurrect' implies death has fully set in and the revival is miraculous or imaginary, not a routine medical procedure.

2. to bring a practice, belief, tradition, system, or object back into use after it

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to bring a practice, belief, tradition, system, or object back into use after it had disappeared, stopped, or been forgotten.

Example

The mayor wants to resurrect the old street festival that ended twenty years ago.

resurrect + [event] that ended [time] ago

Dewi resurrected her grandmother's recipe for dumplings after finding it in an old notebook.

Common collocations
  • resurrect a tradition
  • resurrect an idea
  • resurrect a project
  • resurrect a custom
Synonyms
  • revive

    common alternative; slightly softer and used for both living things and abstract ideas

  • reintroduce

    more neutral and formal; focuses on bringing a practice back institutionally

  • restore

    suggests returning something to its original state; broader than 'resurrect'

Antonyms
  • abolish

    to formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution

  • abandon

    to give up or stop maintaining a practice or idea

Grammar Patterns

resurrect + object (practice / tradition / idea / product)

Common Mistakes

The tradition resurrected last year.
The tradition was resurrected last year.
'resurrect' is transitive; use the passive voice or supply an agent when something is brought back.

Word family

  • resurrection
    nounB2
  • resurrected
    adjectiveC1
  • resurgent
    adjectiveC1
  • resurgence
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words involve bringing something back, but they differ in nuance and typical contexts. 'Reintroduce' is the most procedural — it describes formally starting a practice again (e.g. reintroducing a dress code) and carries no emotional weight. 'Restore' implies returning a past state exactly as it was, often with the sense of repair (e.g. restoring an old house or a broken system). 'Renew' focuses on making something active or valid again, frequently in contractual or relational settings (e.g. renewing a subscription or a friendship). 'Revive' is the closest synonym to 'resurrect' — both suggest a stronger break from the past (something was truly dead or finished), but 'revive' is less dramatic and works for physical energy, economies, and languages. For instance, you would say a village revived its Harvest Fair, but an airline resurrected a discontinued flight route — the latter sounds like a more surprising or triumphant return.

revive ↗reintroducerestore ↗renew ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • from the dead
  • from the grave
  • from obscurity
  • back to life

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'resurrect' is a back-formation from 'resurrection', which entered English through Old French from Latin 'resurrectio', the noun form of 'resurgere' — 're-' (again) + 'surgere' (to rise, get up). The '-ect' ending was modelled on past participles like 'erect' and 'correct'. The word originally belonged to Christian theology (the resurrection of Jesus) and later extended to figurative uses in the 18th and 19th centuries.