restart

verb

re·​start (ˌ)rē-ˈstärt How to pronounce restart (audio)
restarted; restarting; restarts
Synonyms of restartnext

transitive verb

1
: to start anew
2
: to resume (something, such as an activity) after interruption

intransitive verb

: to resume operation
restart
ˈrē-ˌstärt How to pronounce restart (audio) (ˌ)re-ˈstärt How to pronounce restart (audio)
noun
restartable
(ˌ)re-ˈstär-tə-bəl How to pronounce restart (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of restart

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of restart in a Sentence

They plan to restart negotiations next week. The tournament will restart tomorrow.
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.
That could be the use of a duress password, one too many failed unlock attempts, or simply every time the device is restarted. — New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026 Kyiv views security guarantees as essential to prevent Russia from restarting the war in the future. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Witkoff also hailed Russia’s willingness to restart talks over ending the war. — Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 Washington and Israel are reportedly planning to restart major combat operations against Iran after the midterm elections in America. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for restart

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of restart was in 1749

Rhymes for restart

See All Rhymes for restart

Browse Nearby Words

rest area
restart
restarter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Restart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restart. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

restart

verb
re·​start rē-ˈstärt How to pronounce restart (audio)
1
: to start anew
restarted the car
2
a
: to resume (as an activity) after an interruption
will restart the game
b
: to resume operation
the rides will restart after one hour
restart
ˈrē-ˌstärt
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All