to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.
to resume a journey.
to take or occupy again.
to resume one's seat.
to take or assume use or practice of again.
to resume her maiden name.
to take back.
to resume the title to a property.
to go on or continue after interruption.
The dancing is about to resume.
to begin again.
a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.
a summing up; summary.
to begin again or go on with (something adjourned or interrupted)
(tr) to occupy again, take back, or recover
to resume one's seat
to resume possession
(tr) to assume (a title, office, etc) again
to resume the presidency
archaic to summarize; make a résumé of
a short descriptive summary, as of events
another name for curriculum vitae
Some French words borrowed into English preserve foreign features, like accent marks: café , déjà vu , résumé , séance , etc. In French, accent marks serve two purposes. They can mark a different vowel quality (the vowels e , è and é are pronounced very differently), or they may distinguish two words that would otherwise be homographs ( ou without an accent means “or,” while où with an accent means “where”). When you use these words in English, it is correct to write them with the French accents or without; the spellings divorcée and divorcee are both accepted. Some people prefer including the accent for accuracy or to evoke a subtle European flavor. The inclusion or omission of an accent mark when naming an establishment cafe or café suggests a certain expectation for the style and tone of the place. Other people find any use of a foreign accent mark to be unnecessary and pretentious. Be aware of your audience when making this decision. As in the original French, accents are useful for differentiating between two homographs. English speakers are more likely to keep the accents in a word like résumé or exposé in order to avoid confusion with the verbs resume or expose . Words without confusable English counterparts, like deja vu or cafe , are less likely to maintain their accents in written English. Generally, the use of foreign accents for words borrowed into English is optional. However, if you do choose to use accented letters, be sure to use the correct accent and be consistent within the word. For example, déjà vu has an acute (rising) accent mark in the first syllable and a grave (falling) accent in the second. The word résumé has two acute accent marks. Avoid haphazard or false accent marking, as sometimes seen in the spellings dejá vu or resumé . The best rule to follow for foreign accent marks is all or nothing.
Spelling tips for resume There are two words that use the spelling resume, and they’re pronounced very differently, which can make things confusing. As a verb meaning “to continue,” resume is pronounced [ ri-zoom ], which can sound like it should be spelled rezoom. As a noun referring to a list of a person’s professional qualifications, resume is pronounced [ rez-oo-mey ]. To reflect this pronunciation, the noun is sometimes spelled in the French manner, with accent marks (résumé or resumé), but they are not required and it is better to avoid using them. How to spell resume: First, remember that you don’t need any accent marks to spell the noun resume. You can remember how to spell the middle part by remembering that a resume should include the sum of your professional accomplishments. Then just remember that the verb that means “to continue” is spelled the exact same way.
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English resumen, from Middle French resumer or directly from Latin resūmere “to take back, take again,” equivalent to re- “again, back” + sūmere “to take”; see re-, consume
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French résumé, noun use of past participle of résumer “to sum up”
If you resume something, you start it again after stopping. You might resume singing an aria after breaking to spit out your gum. Resume is from Latin resumere "to take up again, take back," from the prefix re- "again" plus sumere "to take up, take." The Latin verb sumere is formed from the prefix sub- "under, up" plus emere "to take." When you pause a movie or game and then you press play again, what you're really doing is resuming play.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
LA28 sold more than 4 million tickets in its first ticket drop, and after last week’s presale, the second drop will resume Aug. 10.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Looking at Tony’s thin resume, Ripert says, “At least he’s honest.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
It did not say how long it would take for normal supplies to resume.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
According to a Bloomberg report, negotiating teams from Iran and Oman are trying to reach a deal to resume shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
After they had raised the barrows, Gwystyl left to resume his guard at the way post; the companions, King Smoit, and his riders departed from the clearing and turned their horses toward the Great Avren.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
After 30 years of innovation in the L.A. music scene, Cut Chemist’s résumé of achievements is too long to list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
They had spent millions on a high-profile coach with a glittering European résumé.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The book’s dust jacket is scarce with Mr. Moore’s résumé.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Now the former top Republican official can add another distinction to his résumé: felon.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
I debated whether to even send in my résumé.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Prices for gasoline, diesel and many petrochemicals have risen even more sharply and aren’t expected to ease until normal tanker traffic through the strait resumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
"Once it resumes normal operations, Swift could continue searching for more examples of out-of-place black holes."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The Saudis have repeatedly said that they will not normalize relations with Israel unless Israel resumes talks toward creating a Palestinian state.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Having a killer cover letter used to be the way to stand out from other applicants with similar resumes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Solomon looks up, twists his head from side to side, and resumes eating.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Pakistan rescue teams resumed a high-altitude search on Saturday for seven climbers missing after a powerful avalanche on one of the world's highest peaks, with the remains of three mountaineers recovered.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
After the blockade resumed, at least 10 such ships were seen in or just outside Chinese ports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Americans’ confidence in the economy fell this month as gas prices resumed their climb after the U.S. and Iran stepped up their fighting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
And following a cyberattack on its Fairlife milk segment, the company said most production had resumed at its four U.S. facilities, with availability on store shelves “largely unimpacted.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Then in 1965, the search for the long-lost ship was resumed by a dedicated visionary and a team that he inspired to join him in his remarkable quest.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
“That said, there is still a meaningful gap between talks resuming and the Strait of Hormuz fully reopening,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It added that restrictions would remain in place until conditions are considered safe, with activities resuming "as soon as possible".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The agreement was short-lived, however, with U.S. and Iranian attacks resuming this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Now the plant is resuming operations, specialists and workers are being recruited. We are pinning our hopes on this plant, that people will come and the village will continue to live."
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
When Bull had finished throwing up, Ben thought about resuming the chant, but did not.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
