recreate

1 of 3

verb (1)

rec·​re·​ate ˈre-krē-ˌāt How to pronounce recreate (audio)
recreated; recreating; recreates
Synonyms of recreate

transitive verb

: to give new life or freshness to : refresh
supporters of preservation hope to recreate the architectural splendor that the old movie theater had when it first opened
… it became late enough to suggest tea. We had got through one brew, and the three great minds were recreating themselves with cake, when there came another knock at the door …—G. Dosset

intransitive verb

: to take recreation
an old summer resort where families have been recreating for over a century
recreative
ˈre-krē-ˌā-tiv How to pronounce recreate (audio)
adjective

re-create

2 of 3

verb (2)

re-cre·​ate ˌrē-krē-ˈāt How to pronounce re-create (audio)
variants or recreate
re-created or recreated; re-creating or recreating; re-creates

transitive verb

: to create again
especially : to form anew in the imagination
re-creatable
ˌrē-krē-ˈā-tə-bəl How to pronounce re-create (audio)
adjective
re-creation
ˌrē-krē-ˈā-shən How to pronounce re-create (audio)
noun
re-creative
ˌrē-krē-ˈā-tiv How to pronounce re-create (audio)
adjective
re-creator
ˌrē-krē-ˈā-tər How to pronounce re-create (audio)
noun

recreation

3 of 3

noun

rec·​re·​a·​tion ˌre-krē-ˈā-shən How to pronounce recreation (audio)
: refreshment of strength and spirits after work
also : a means of refreshment or diversion : hobby

Synonyms of recreate

Relevance

Verb (1)

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of recreate in a Sentence

Verb (1) supporters of preservation hope to recreate the architectural splendor that the old movie theater had when it first opened an old summer resort where families have been recreating for over a century Verb (2) The movie set re-creates a London street of 1895. The scene of the crime was re-created based upon police photographs. Noun The fields next to the school are used for recreation. decided to take a bike tour of the island for recreation and relaxation
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
In my test shot, a sneaker remained, but brushing over it re-created the rocks underfoot. — Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026 Elsewhere, this same motif is re-created from plaster casts of marine rope alternating with teak inserts. — Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 16 June 2026
Noun
On the ride, vessels named Nautilus and Skipjack, visited a recreation of the lost city of Atlantis. — Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 The county said in a press release that several recreation centers and homeless shelters will provide day services during the heatwave to help people get indoors and avoid potential illness. — Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for recreate

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English recreaten, borrowed from Latin recreāre "to make new, restore, revive" — more at recreation

Verb (2)

re- + create entry 1

Noun

Middle English recreacioun "act of refreshment, action of amusing," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin recreātiōn-, recreātiō "spiritual refreshment, amusement, new birth," going back to Latin, "act of restoring," from recreāre "to make new, restore, revive" (from re- re- + creāre "to bring into being, beget, give birth to") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at create entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (2)

1587, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recreate was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing recreate

Rhymes for recreate

See All Rhymes for recreate

Browse Nearby Words

recreant
recreate
re-create
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Recreate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recreate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

recreate

1 of 2 verb
rec·​re·​ate ˈrek-rē-ˌāt How to pronounce recreate (audio)
recreated; recreating
1
: to give new life or freshness to
2
: to take recreation
recreative
-ˌāt-iv
adjective

re-create

2 of 2 verb
re-cre·​ate
ˌrē-krē-ˈāt
: to create again especially in the imagination
re-creation
-ˈā-shən
noun
re-creative
-ˈāt-iv
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on recreate

Nglish: Translation of recreate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All