reactivate

verb

re·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˌ)rē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 

reactivated; reactivating; reactivates

1

transitive : to activate (something or someone) again

… turning the dough (gently folding it over onto itself between the first and second rises) reactivates the yeast without pressing out as much air.

—Erika Bruce

: such as

a(1)

: to restore (an organized group such as a military unit) to an active state (as from a state of disorganization or deactivation)

(2)

: to restore (an individual) to active duty

He was reactivated after 9/11 and sent to Afghanistan for a year.

—Pam Kragen

(3)

: to cause (something such as an industrial plant, society, program, or commission) to function again after a suspension of activity

Started in 1987 and reactivated two years ago, the Leadership Shelby County program takes the participants through the process of developing and launching efforts to improve the community.

—John Walker

b

psychology : to cause (something such as a repressed complex) to reappear in consciousness or behavior

Feelings of inferiority were reactivated by the experience.

c

medical : to cause (a quiescent disease) to become active again

tuberculosis that was reactivated by fatigue

2

intransitive : to become active again

… a painful nerve and skin disorder that occurs when the immune system weakens in older people and the virus, which never entirely leaves the body, reactivates.

—Alison L. Sprout

Examples of reactivate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But any prolonged Israeli occupation risks alienating Syrians and providing Iran with a pretext to reactivate its anti-Israel agenda in Syria. —Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024

How to use it: To amp up the volume after a long day, spray your hair with a little bit of water to reactivate the mousse for added shape and dimension. —Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 22 Dec. 2024

The spokesperson added that the military was working to reactivate a desalination plant in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, among other projects that include repairing damaged pipes. —David Hodari, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024

And both nations are expected to reactivate another agenda that unites them: the support for democratic movements and Islamists. —Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

reactivate

transitive verb

re·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˈ)rē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 

reactivated; reactivating

: to activate again : cause to be again active or more active: as

a

: to cause (as a repressed complex) to reappear in consciousness or behavior

persecution feelings reactivated by new social failures

b

: to cause (a quiescent disease) to become active again in an individual

a herpes infection reactivated by physical and emotional stresses

c

: to restore complement to (an inactivated serum) by addition of fresh normal serum