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relive

[ree-liv] / riˈlɪv /




Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for relive?
To relive something means to experience it again in some way—to reexperience it. Sometimes, relive means to vividly recall the experience in your mind, as if you’re living through it again. In this way, to relive is really to remember. Often, saying that you relived an event really means that a memory of it triggered the same emotions you felt during the original experience. Sometimes, we relive experiences in our dreams, and sometimes in flashbacks. When this happens, the mind recreates the experience from our memories. In movies like Groundhog Day, characters literally relive the same day over and over again—they repeat it again and again until Andie MacDowell falls in love with them.
How is relive different from reminisce?
The meanings of relive and reminisce can overlap. When you reminisce about past events, it’s often an intentional way of trying to relive them. Reminiscing is commonly done through talking about those events with other people who also experienced them, which can stir memories and emotions. But there are differences. Reminisce is always used in the context of fond memories, and reminiscing is always intentional, while relive can be used in positive contexts (fond memories) or negative ones (traumatic memories), and reliving an experience in your mind sometimes happens even when you don’t want it to.
Is it relive or re-live?
Like many other words that begin with the prefix re- (meaning “again”), relive is typically spelled without a hyphen. In some words that begin with the prefix re-, a hyphen is necessary to distinguish one word from another that would be spelled the same but has an entirely different meaning, such as resign (as in quit) and re-sign (as in sign again). This is not an issue with relive.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It’s grounded in a specific place, carrying with it all the tastes, smells and textures McFadden can relive from that trip.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 29, 2026

He was already looking forward to the end of his morning meeting so he and other football-loving colleagues could relive the match over another cup of coffee.

From Barron's Jul. 20, 2026

Americans need not relive the sacrifices of his era to appreciate the lesson.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 2, 2026

Together, they relive the night Clark’s wife left, with Mary acting as his former spouse.

From Salon May 30, 2026

What I really wanted was to relive some of my favorite experiences, experiences that always included Grampa.

From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe

A record-smashing, boundary-breaking tennis champion, Serena Williams relives her highlights and heartbreaks, on and off the court.

From BBC Jun. 16, 2026

In his new memoir, “Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard,” runner Ken Rideout relives a physically grueling 2023 ultramarathon in the Gobi Desert.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 1, 2025

He relives the period of his boyhood when his abuela was there to greet him after school and impart to him the cultural heritage he was living apart from.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 24, 2025

And don’t be surprised if he provides this fan base with a collection of ninth-inning heroics that posterity relives for decades to come.

From Seattle Times Jul. 23, 2023

In other words, the song relives and retells the experiences of a child in another century and makes her story highly relatable to us today.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

“For nearly a decade, Jessica Mann has fought for justice. Over the course of many weeks during three separate trials, she relived unthinkably painful experiences in front of complete strangers,” Bragg said.

From Los Angeles Times May 15, 2026

“Over the course of many weeks during three separate trials, she relived unthinkably painful experiences in front of complete strangers,” said Bragg.

From The Wall Street Journal May 15, 2026

This was only Chelsea's third clean sheet in 12 matches and boss Enzo Maresca was relived to emerge unscathed for once.

From Barron's Nov. 1, 2025

It is relived daily through stories passed down, names found in tribunal transcripts and artifacts pulled from mass graves.

From Salon Jul. 31, 2025

He grimaced as he relived the bear attack and the hatred he had once felt for the Spirit Bear.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen

That procedure, they argued, would result in “Christa involuntarily reliving the worst moments of her life, much like traumatized soldiers when they return from a war zone.”

From Slate Aug. 25, 2026

By interrupting the repeated nighttime reliving of trauma, the treatment allowed many of them to sleep more peacefully.

From Science Daily Aug. 6, 2026

But it hasn’t stopped her from reliving it all.

From Salon May 27, 2026

"Nick absolutely loved it, seeing these young girls come through and playing football. It was almost like he was reliving Ella's life again," adds Bunney.

From BBC May 26, 2026

Hazel had almost forgotten she was reliving her past.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan




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