restore
rih-STAW
Restore (verb) means to bring something back to its former, usually better, condition. Example: “The museum hired an expert to restore the faded painting to its original glory.”
verb
1
To bring something back to its former, usually better, condition.
"The museum hired an expert to restore the faded painting to its original glory."
"They spent years restoring the old farmhouse."
"The medicine helped restore his energy."
2
To give back something that was lost or taken.
"The council promised to restore the stolen statue to the town square."
"The court ordered the company to restore the money it had wrongly kept."
"The government agreed to restore the seized property to its owners."
3
In computing, to recover data or a system from a backup.
"After the crash, the technician managed to restore all my files from the backup drive."
"You can restore the older version of the document if you made a mistake."
"She had to restore her phone from a backup after it broke."
How to use restore
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo bring something back — whether that's a building, someone's health, stolen property, or deleted computer files.
Common pairings
restore order
restore from backup
restore confidence
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Word forms
- Plural
- restores
- Third person singular
- restores
- Past tense
- restored
- Archaic forms
- restorest, restoredst, restoreth
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The museum hired an expert to _____ the faded painting to its original glory.
Etymology
From Old French restorer, from Latin restaurare, formed from re- ("again") plus a root related to "to build."
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for restore
See all rhymes for restore →Frequently asked questions
What does “restore” mean?
The word “restore” means to bring something back to its former, usually better, condition. In plain terms, to bring something back — whether that's a building, someone's health, stolen property, or deleted computer files.
How do you pronounce “restore”?
“Restore” is pronounced rih-STAW (/ɹɪˈstoɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “restore” in a sentence?
Here is “restore” used in a sentence: “The medicine helped restore his energy.”
What part of speech is “restore”?
“Restore” is a verb.
Where does the word “restore” come from?
The word “restore” comes from Latin. From Old French restorer, from Latin restaurare, formed from re- ("again") plus a root related to "to build.".
Is “restore” a common word?
“Restore” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “restore” have?
“Restore” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to bring something back to its former, usually better, condition.
What is the difference between "restore" and "repair"?
To "restore" is to bring something back to its former, usually better condition, often its original state. To "repair" is to fix what is broken or damaged; you might repair a single part, but restoring aims to return the whole thing to how it once was.
What is the difference between "restore" and "renovate"?
"Restore" aims to return something to its original condition while keeping its former character. "Renovate" means to update or modernise, which may change the original design, so restoring an old house preserves it, while renovating may add new features.
What is the difference between "restore" and "return"?
In the sense of giving something back, "restore" and "return" are close, but "restore" often carries a sense of putting things right, as in restoring rights or restoring order. "Return" simply means to give or send something back to its owner or place.
When should you use "restore" instead of "fix"?
Use "restore" when the goal is to bring something back to a former, better state, such as restoring a painting or restoring confidence. "Fix" is more casual and focuses on correcting a specific fault or problem.
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