resuscitate
verb
re·sus·ci·tate
ri-ˈsə-sə-ˌtāt 
resuscitated; resuscitating
: to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness
also
: revitalize
Did you know?
The 16th century was a good one for words ending in the suffix -ate. Not only did our featured word, resuscitate, breathe life into the English language but so did the verbs anticipate ("to give advance thought, discussion, or treatment to"), eradicate ("to do away with completely"), estimate ("to esteem" or "to appraise"), and perpetuate ("to make perpetual"). It was a good century for words about words, too—vocabulary, quip, and hearsay all premiered as well.
Examples of resuscitate in a Sentence
The patient stopped breathing but doctors were able to resuscitate him.
she hopes to resuscitate the currently defunct charity organization
Recent Examples on the Web
Later this week, Microsoft will announce a new Halo release in an attempt to resuscitate the franchise.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
The doctor on board the ship attempted to resuscitate her for about 30 minutes, the outlet reported.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
If anything, the streaming era stepped back from the glory days of cable, resuscitating the Network approach on digital steroids.
—John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Saleh was briefly resuscitated, but later lost his pulse again, according to the news release.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for resuscitate
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Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
The doctor on board the ship attempted to resuscitate her for about 30 minutes, the outlet reported.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
If anything, the streaming era stepped back from the glory days of cable, resuscitating the Network approach on digital steroids.
—John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Saleh was briefly resuscitated, but later lost his pulse again, according to the news release.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for resuscitate
Cite this Entry
“Resuscitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resuscitate. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
resuscitate
verb
re·sus·ci·tate
ri-ˈsəs-ə-ˌtāt
resuscitated; resuscitating
1
: to bring back from apparent death or from unconsciousness
2
Medical Definition
resuscitate
transitive verb
re·sus·ci·tate
ri-ˈsəs-ə-ˌtāt
resuscitated; resuscitating
: to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness
resuscitate a nearly drowned person by artificial respiration
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