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• resume
  resume

  verb (used with object)

  to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.
• résumé
  résumé

  noun

  a short descriptive summary, as of events

Trivia Time

Resume, in the sense of "a written account of professional qualifications," comes from a French word meaning what?

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resume

¹ American  

[ri-zoom] / rɪˈzum /

verb (used with object)

• resumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resumed,
  past participle,  past
• resuming
  present participle

1. to take up or go on with again after interruption; continue.

   to resume a journey.

2. to take or occupy again.

   to resume one's seat.

3. to take or assume use or practice of again.

   to resume her maiden name.

4. to take back.

   to resume the title to a property.

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verb (used without object)

• resumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resumed,
  past participle,  past
• resuming
  present participle

1. to go on or continue after interruption.

   The dancing is about to resume.

2. to begin again.

resume ² American  

[rez-oo-mey, rez-oo-mey] / ˈrɛz ʊˌmeɪ, ˌrɛz ʊˈmeɪ /

Sometimes resumé or résumé

noun

1. a brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience, as that prepared by an applicant for a job.

2. a summing up; summary.

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resume ¹ British  

/ rɪˈzjuːm /

verb

1. to begin again or go on with (something adjourned or interrupted)

2. (tr) to occupy again, take back, or recover

   to resume one's seat

   to resume possession

3. (tr) to assume (a title, office, etc) again

   to resume the presidency

4. archaic to summarize; make a résumé of

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résumé ² British  

/ ˈrɛzjʊˌmeɪ /

noun

1. a short descriptive summary, as of events

2. another name for curriculum vitae

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Spelling

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.

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resumer
  noun
• resumable
  adjective
• unresumed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• resuming
  present
• resumed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resume
  simple
• resumes
  simple
• have resumed
  perfect
• has resumed
  perfect
• am resuming
  progressive
• are resuming
  progressive
• is resuming
  progressive
• have been resuming
  perfect progressive
• has been resuming
  perfect progressive

Past

• resumed
  simple
• had resumed
  perfect
• was resuming
  progressive
• were resuming
  progressive
• had been resuming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resume
  simple
• will have resumed
  perfect
• will be resuming
  progressive
• will have been resuming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of resume¹

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

Origin of resume²

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French résumé, noun use of past participle of résumer “to sum up”

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resume résumé resumes resumed resuming

He is still an underdog against Garcia - a fighter with greater amateur pedigree and a more accomplished professional resume - but Benn's size and physical pressure could become one of his biggest advantages.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

As tempting as it is, you might want to skip letting artificial intelligence write your resume.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

However, as these effects fade and aggregate demand grows moderately, underlying inflation will resume its decline, the bank added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The plan is to resume firefighting efforts, first from the cargo hold of the ferry, which is the compartment where containers and or goods are stored, Cayabyab said.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

But in spite of the victory, the Times could not resume printing the Pentagon Papers because the Justice Department immediately appealed, and the injunction remained in place while the case moved to the higher court.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Finding a job these days may require using AI for more than just résumé writing.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

In 2025, Cameron expanded his real estate résumé even further when he joined Ryan Serhant’s brokerage, working out of its Jupiter office while continuing to run his construction and investment businesses.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

The key to a killer résumé is your perfect scrambled eggs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

But despite that lack of résumé, Graham triumphed on Tuesday.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

I debated whether to even send in my résumé.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Still, using AI to write resumes is on the rise.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Some job seekers could get an edge in this labor market by actually writing their own resumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

"The threat from an eruption comes from the ejection of incandescent rocks accompanied by heavy ashfall. Another potential hazard arises from lava flows if the eruption resumes and continues," agency head Lana Saria said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

“The Diplomat” resumes for its fourth season Thursday, Oct.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

They’d say, ‘Okay, then just show us your resumes.’

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

She knew kids risked being sent home when classes resumed in late August — a scenario that would disrupt not just their learning but create a logistical nightmare for working families.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

But more importantly, the relationship has resumed its inverted nature.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Traffic then resumed, before facing further disruption in the afternoon.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

It’s a brighter scene, and not just because the nightly Bay Bridge light shows, dark since 2023, resumed in March.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

When it is resumed, in the next chapter, so to speak, the maidens are being married to their cousins and their father is presiding at the marriage feast.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Kinsella's pioneering journey back to the sport is so rare it became the subject of a university research paper into elite gymnasts resuming their careers after giving birth.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

OpenAI halted training of its latest models for two weeks in August before resuming it under tighter controls.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Talwani, in a ruling last week, criticized the Postal Service for resuming work on the project.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Meatpacking executives have said resuming the cattle trade was the fastest way to potentially lower beef prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

“Not at Hogwarts,” said Harry, resuming his pacing.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• continue
• go on
• proceed
• regain
• reopen
• restart
• return to
• take up