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Meaning & use

restore

verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/rɪˈstɔː/
US/rɪˈstɔːr/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    To repair something old or damaged so it looks or works like it did originally.

    Grammar: Takes an object: restore a painting.

    Patterns

    • restore something
    • restore something to something

    Workers restored the old theater to its original beauty.

    He spent years restoring a vintage car.

    The museum restored the damaged painting.

  2. verbtransitive

    To bring back a feeling, system, order or condition that had been lost.

    Grammar: Takes an object, often an abstract noun: restore trust.

    Patterns

    • restore something
    • restore something to someone

    The apology helped restore trust between them.

    Engineers restored power to the town by morning.

    A good night's sleep restored her energy.

  3. verbtransitiveformal

    To give something back to the person or place it was taken from.

    Grammar: Often followed by to: restore the land to its owners.

    Patterns

    • restore something to someone

    The court restored the land to its rightful owners.

    The thief restored the necklace to the museum.

    The new law restored her rights.

  4. verbtransitivecomputing

    To put a computer file or system back to an earlier saved state.

    Grammar: Often with from: restore files from a backup.

    Patterns

    • restore something from something

    She restored her photos from a backup drive.

    The technician restored the system to last Tuesday's settings.

    You can restore deleted files from the recycle bin.

Word forms

third person singularrestores
past tenserestored
past participlerestored
-ing formrestoring

Common combinations

restore order
Police arrived to restore order.
restore confidence
The new manager worked to restore confidence.
restore power
Crews restored power after the storm.
fully restored
The house was fully restored.
restore to health
Rest and care restored him to health.
restore from a backup
I restored my data from a backup.

Synonyms and how they differ

renovate
Renovate suggests updating a building to look new, not necessarily matching the old design.
repair
Repair means to fix something broken and does not imply returning it to an earlier look.
reinstate
Reinstate means putting someone or something back in a previous position or rule.
revive
Revive suggests bringing something back to life or use.

Opposites

destroydamageremove

Word family

restoration noun
the act of bringing something back to a previous state
restorer noun
a person who repairs old objects
restorative adjective
giving back health or strength
restored adjective
returned to a former condition

Commonly confused: restore or store?

restore vs store

Store means to keep something for later, while restore means to bring something back to an earlier condition.

Practice

After the blackout, engineers worked all night to ___ power to the neighborhood.

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