Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To bring back into existence or use; reestablish.
  • transitive verb To bring back to an original or normal condition.
  • transitive verb To place in a former position or location.
  • transitive verb To put (someone) back in a former position or role.
  • transitive verb To make restitution of; give back.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Restoration; restitution.
  • To store again or anew: as, the goods were restored.
  • To bring back to a former and better state.
  • To bring back from lapse, degeneracy, or a fallen condition to a former state.
  • To bring back to a state of health or soundness; heal; cure.
  • In the fine arts:
  • To bring back from a state of injury or decay as nearly as may be to the primitive state, supplying any part that may be wanting, by a careful following of the original work: as, to restore a painting, a statue, etc.
  • To form a picture or model of, as of something lost or mutilated: as, to restore a ruined building according to its original state or design.
  • To bring back; renew or reëstablish after interruption.
  • To give or bring back; return to a person, as a specific thing which he has lost, or which has been taken from him and unjustly retained: as, to restore lost or stolen goods to the owner.
  • To give in place of or as satisfaction for something; hence, to make amends for; compensate.
  • To bring or put back to a former position or condition; replace; return, as a person or thing to a former place.
  • To recover or renew, as passages of an author defective or corrupted; emend.
  • In paleontology, to represent (an extinct animal) from its existing remains. See restoration, 8.
  • In musical notation, to bring (a degree or note) back to its original signification by canceling a chromatic sign which had affected it temporarily.
  • To store.
  • Synonyms . To recover.
  • 3 and To refund, repay.
  • To reinstate. Return, Restore. To return a thing to its former place; to restore it to its former condition; to return what has been borrowed; to restore what has been stolen; to be restored to health or prosperity.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Restoration.
  • transitive verb To bring back to its former state; to bring back from a state of ruin, decay, disease, or the like; to repair; to renew; to recover.
  • transitive verb To give or bring back, as that which has been lost., or taken away; to bring back to the owner; to replace.
  • transitive verb To renew; to reëstablish.
  • transitive verb To give in place of, or as satisfaction for.
  • transitive verb To make good; to make amends for.
  • transitive verb To bring back from a state of injury or decay, or from a changed condition; , statue, etc.
  • transitive verb To form a picture or model of, as of something lost or mutilated.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun computing The act of recovering data or a system from a backup.
  • verb transitive To reestablish, or bring back into existence.
  • verb transitive To bring back to a previous condition or state.
  • verb transitive To give back, or make restitution.
  • verb computing To recover data from a backup.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
  • verb return to life; get or give new life or energy
  • verb return to its original or usable and functioning condition
  • verb give or bring back
  • verb bring back into original existence, use, function, or position

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English restoren, from Old French restorer, from Latin restaurāre; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French restorer (Modern French: restaurer), from Latin restaurare.

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Examples

  • _restore_ me -- brain, heart, soul, spirit, body, every fibre of my nature -- to restore me perfectly, to conform me wholly to the image of His Son.

    Godliness : being reports of a series of addresses delivered at James's Hall, London, W. during 1881 Catherine Mumford Booth 1859

  • _restore_ me -- brain, heart, soul, spirit, body, every fibre of my nature -- to restore me perfectly, to conform me wholly to the image of His Son.

    Godliness : being reports of a series of addresses delivered at James's Hall, London, W. during 1881 Catherine Mumford Booth 1859

  • _restore_ me -- brain, heart, soul, spirit, body, every fibre of my nature -- to restore me perfectly, to conform me wholly to the image of His Son.

    Godliness : being reports of a series of addresses delivered at James's Hall, London, W. during 1881 Catherine Mumford Booth 1859

  • While "re-elect" is fair use because he was the former MP for the area in previous sessions I think, in future cases, a sticker with the word "restore" would be better and less confusing - certainly to new voters in the riding.

    Thestar.com - Home Page 2011

  • Peace is the most powerful foe America has ever faced, but I am confident that our relentless pursuit of failure will once again restore our faith and ensure our prosperity.

    Healthcare 2010

  • Peace is the most powerful foe America has ever faced, but I am confident that our relentless pursuit of failure will once again restore our faith and ensure our prosperity.

    Geopolitics 2010

  • Peace is the most powerful foe America has ever faced, but I am confident that our relentless pursuit of failure will once again restore our faith and ensure our prosperity.

    Creativity 2010

  • Peace is the most powerful foe America has ever faced, but I am confident that our relentless pursuit of failure will once again restore our faith and ensure our prosperity.

    the war on peace 2009

  • Peace is the most powerful foe America has ever faced, but I am confident that our relentless pursuit of failure will once again restore our faith and ensure our prosperity.

    the war on peace 2009

  • Peace is the most powerful foe America has ever faced, but I am confident that our relentless pursuit of failure will once again restore our faith and ensure our prosperity.

    10 posts from December 2009 2009

Comments

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  • He restored my confidence in him.

    April 14, 2007