# restore

/ɹɪˈstɔɹ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/restore
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to repair or renovate

verb · CEFR B2

to repair something old so that it looks and works like it did when it was new.

For teachers: to return an object or building to its former condition through careful repair or renovation.

- The museum spent years trying to restore the old painting to its original beauty.
- The historical society raised funds to restore the Victorian mansion, ensuring that every architectural detail matched the original 1885 blueprints.

Usage: Often used with 'to' to indicate the target state.

### 2. to re-establish a situation

verb · CEFR B2

to bring back a law, a feeling, or a situation that existed before.

For teachers: to re-establish or reinstate a previous practice, law, or state of affairs.

- The police worked hard to restore order after the protest ended.
- The new administration promised to restore public confidence in the banking system by introducing stricter transparency requirements.

### 3. to recover computer data

verb · CEFR B2 · Technical

to put information back onto a computer from a saved copy.

For teachers: to recover files or system settings from a backup or previous state.

- I had to restore my phone from a backup after it crashed.
- The IT department managed to restore the database to its state before the ransomware attack, minimizing the loss of customer records.

### 4. to return an item

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to give something back to its rightful owner.

For teachers: to return something that was lost or taken to its original owner or place.

- The stolen jewels were eventually restored to the royal family.
- International law often requires that looted cultural artifacts be restored to their country of origin.

Teaching tip: In everyday English, people usually say 'give back' or 'return' instead of 'restore' for physical objects.

### 5. a data recovery

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the act of putting saved information back onto a computer.

For teachers: the process of recovering data or system configurations from a backup source.

- The system restore took about twenty minutes to complete.
- After the server failure, the administrator initiated a full restore of the primary partition to ensure service continuity.

## Examples

- The workers will restore the old church to its former glory.
- After the system crash, the IT department managed to restore all the lost data from the backup server.
- The new administration promised to restore public confidence in the judicial system by implementing transparent oversight and rigorous ethical standards for all appointed officials.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.