Restore

/rɪˈstɔːr/

verbmedium📊CommonArts
3 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

To bring back to a former state or condition; to repair or rebuild; to re-establish.

/rɪˈstɔːr/

verbneutralmedium
Arts

To bring back to a former condition or position

The team worked tirelessly to restore the old house.

💡 Simply: Imagine you broke your favorite toy. To restore it means to fix it and make it good as new, or at least as close as possible! Maybe like when you take a damaged painting to someone who will fix it up.

👶 For kids: To fix something to make it new again, like fixing a broken toy.

More Examples

2

He hoped to restore his reputation after the scandal.

3

The government announced plans to restore power to the affected areas.

How It's Used

History

"The museum restored the ancient artifacts to their original condition."

Technology

"I need to restore my computer to factory settings."

Health

"The doctor hopes to restore the patient's health."

2

To bring someone back to a healthy state of mind or body.

/rɪˈstɔːr/

verbpositivemedium
General

To bring back to a former state of health or strength

The rest and proper care helped to restore his health.

💡 Simply: Imagine someone is feeling sick or tired. To restore their health means to help them feel better and get their strength back, like when you drink some water to feel better after playing outside on a hot day.

👶 For kids: To make someone feel better when they are sick or hurt.

More Examples

2

She sought therapy to restore her emotional well-being.

3

The change in diet will help restore her energy levels.

How It's Used

Medicine

"The medication helped to restore the patient's appetite."

Literature

"The hero's quest was to restore peace to the kingdom."

Tip:Think of the word as 're-store' – restoring strength and health, like replenishing energy stores.
3

To return something to its original position or location.

/rɪˈstɔːr/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To put something back in its place

After the storm, the workers restored the power lines.

💡 Simply: Like tidying up after playing, to restore something is to put it back where it belongs, making the place neat and tidy again.

👶 For kids: Putting something back in its right place.

More Examples

2

She restored the books to the library shelves.

3

He restored the paintings to their proper order in the gallery.

How It's Used

Home organization

"After the party, they restored all the furniture to its original positions."

Historical Preservation

"The curators restored the artifacts to their original display cases."

Tip:Imagine returning objects back 'to their store' where they were originally kept.

Idioms & expressions

restore order

To bring back peace and stability after a period of chaos or disruption.

"The police were called in to restore order after the protest became violent."

From Middle French *restorer*, from Latin *restaurare* 'to rebuild, renew', from *re-* 'again' + *staurare* 'to build'.

The word 'restore' has been used since the 14th century, originally referring to bringing back to a former state or repairing something.

Memory tip

Think of 're-store', like putting things back into a store (or a good condition).

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to build again, to rebuild"

restore orderrestore balancerestore powerrestore healthrestore to original condition

Common misspellings

restorrestoire

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written