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

Now scientists have discovered a dormant gene that could be reactivated to regenerate heart tissue, preventing the progression to heart failure. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 18 Jan. 2025

Such proclamations reflect a deep unease with the basic concept of representative democracy—a foundational if sometimes dormant element of liberalism itself that was reactivated in 2016 and is likely to assume larger proportions during the second Trump Administration. —Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

The letter comes after swirling tension between the two singers which began earlier this week when Healy reactivated his X (formerly Twitter) account. —Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2024

According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Buffalo Bills have reactivated star linebacker Matt Milano from the injured reserve list. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Nov. 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