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Synonyms

reboot

American  
[ree-boot, ree-boot, ree-boot] / riˈbut, riˈbut, ˈriˌbut /

verb (used with object)

  1. to restart (a computer) by loading the operating system; boot again.

  2. to produce a distinctly new version of (an established media franchise, as a film, TV show, video game, or comic book).

    The studio is rebooting Spider-Man.

  3. to make a change in (something) in order to establish a new beginning: Lower interest rates are intended to reboot the economy.

    She’s rebooting her career.

    Lower interest rates are intended to reboot the economy.

verb (used without object)

  1. (of a computer) to be restarted.

noun

  1. an act or instance of restarting a computer.

  2. an act or instance of making a change in order to establish a new beginning.

    a reboot of our product line.

  3. a distinctly new version of an established media franchise.

    The show will be a gritty reboot of the classic TV series from the 1970s.
reboot British  
/ riːˈbuːt /

verb

  1. to shut down and restart (a computer system) or (of a computer system) to shut down and restart

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
reboot Cultural  

  1. A term that comes from computer usage. To reboot a computer is to start it up again after a computer crash. Hence, “reboot” has the connotation of starting a process over again.

Etymology

Origin of reboot

First recorded in 1970–75; re- ( def. ) + boot 1 (in the sense “to start a computer”)

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.

How were you able to film both the “Scrubs” reboot and Season 2 of “High Potential”? ABC was willing to make it work.

From Los Angeles Times

And for that to happen, the AI trade needs a reboot.

From Barron's

Security is anchored in a proprietary protocol and server technology that runs entirely in RAM to ensure all data is wiped upon reboot.

From Salon

Both operate RAM-only servers, which delete all information on each reboot.

From Salon

The demand for actors to reprise their most famous roles for the sake of dredging whatever value — read: money — is left from the property has to die, along with this reboot.

From Salon

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.