Standard Lemma guide

recreate

verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɹɛk.ɹi.eɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ɹiː.kɹiˈeɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R EH1 K R IY0 EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: R IY0 K R IY0 EY1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To give new life, energy or encouragement (to); to refresh, enliven.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To enjoy or entertain oneself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: reflexive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To take recreation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

Alternative form of re-create.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, proscribed, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

give new life or energy to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • A hot soup will revive me
  • This will renovate my spirits
  • This treatment repaired my health

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: animate, reanimate, revive, renovate, repair, quicken, vivify, revivify

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stimulate, arouse, brace, energize, energise, perk up

6

verb

Meaning 6

create anew

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she recreated the feeling of the 1920's with her stage setting

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

Narrower terms: reinvent

7

verb

Meaning 7

give encouragement to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheer, hearten, embolden

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: encourage

Narrower terms: take heart, buck up

8

verb

Meaning 8

engage in recreational activities rather than work; occupy oneself in a diversion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • On weekends I play
  • The students all recreate alike

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: play

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English recreate, from the participle stem of Latin recreāre (“to restore”), from re- (“re-”) + creāre (“to create”).

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English create English recreate From re- + create.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: освежавам (osvežavam) — to give new energy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 重製 /重制 (chóngzhì) — to give new energy
  • Finnish: virkistää — to give new energy
  • Hungarian: felüdít — to give new energy
  • Hungarian: üdít — to give new energy
  • Hungarian: felfrissít — to give new energy
  • Hungarian: frissít — to give new energy
  • Bulgarian: развличам се (razvličam se) — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Bulgarian: забавлявам се (zabavljavam se) — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Dutch: recreëren — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • French: se réjouir — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Hungarian: szórakozik — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Quechua: hawkay — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Spanish: recrearse — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Swedish: roa — to enjoy or entertain oneself
  • Finnish: huvitella — to take recreation
  • Finnish: rentoutua — to take recreation
  • Hungarian: kikapcsolódik — to take recreation
  • Romanian: recrea — to take recreation
  • Swedish: återhämta — to take recreation
  • Swedish: rekreera — to take recreation
  • Bulgarian: пресъздавам (presǎzdavam) — create anew
  • Catalan: recrear — create anew
  • Finnish: luoda uudelleen — create anew
  • Finnish: herättää henkiin — create anew
  • French: recréer — create anew
  • Hungarian: újra előállít — create anew
  • Hungarian: újjáalkot — create anew
  • Hungarian: újjáteremt — create anew
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gjenskape — create anew
  • Polish: odtwarzać — create anew
  • Polish: odtworzyć — create anew
  • Portuguese: recriar — create anew
  • Russian: воссоздава́ть (vossozdavátʹ) — create anew
  • Russian: воссозда́ть (vossozdátʹ) — create anew
  • Serbo-Croatian: рекреирати — create anew
  • Serbo-Croatian: rekreirati — create anew
  • Spanish: recrear — create anew
  • Ukrainian: відтво́рювати (vidtvórjuvaty) — create anew
  • Ukrainian: відтвори́ти (vidtvorýty) — create anew