recreate

/ˌˈrikriˌeɪt/

/rikriˈeɪt/

Other forms: recreated; recreating; recreates

To recreate means to give new life to something, to redo, or remake it. Say you become a billionaire and you grow tired of your mansion, try recreating your childhood home on your estate, so you can retire modestly.

To recreate literally means to create over. If the mural you painted on the outside of your home was damaged in a flood, you might want to recreate it with waterproof paint. Recreate can also mean reimagine. If you become the principal of your old high school, you could throw out the old subjects and recreate high school education as everlasting game day. Recreate can also mean to play — it gives us the word recreation.

Definitions of recreate

1. verb

   create anew
   “she recreated the feeling of the 1920's with her stage setting”

   types:

   reinvent

   create anew and make over

   type of:

   create, make

   make or cause to be or to become
2. verb

   give new life or energy to
   synonyms: animate, quicken, reanimate, renovate, repair, revive, revivify, vivify

   come to, resuscitate, revive

   return to consciousness

   type of:

   arouse, brace, energise, energize, perk up, stimulate

   cause to be alert and energetic
3. verb

   give encouragement to
   synonyms: buoy, cheer, embolden, hearten

   types:

   buck up, take heart

   gain courage

   type of:

   encourage

   inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to
4. verb

   engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion
   “The students all recreate alike”

   synonyms: play

   play

   be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children