Resuscitate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT resuscitate /rɪˈsʌsɪtaɪt/ /rɪˈsʌsɪtaɪt/ IPA guide

Other forms: resuscitated; resuscitating; resuscitates

To resuscitate is to revive a person who has lost consciousness. In recent years it's become important for people to learn CPR so that they might resuscitate someone who loses consciousness, and many schools and hospitals offer classes in CPR.

The Latin word suscitāre, "to raise," combines with re-, "again," to create the base of the verb resuscitate. Through the years, methods of resuscitation have advanced to the current sophisticated and effective levels of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and defibrillation paddles that can shock a heart back to life. In fact, some patients nowadays ask to sign a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order to allow them to die without medical interventions like resuscitation.

Definitions of resuscitate

verb cause to regain consciousness synonyms: revive come to, revive return to consciousness see moresee less types: boot, bring up, reboot cause to load (an operating system) and start the initial processes raise, resurrect, upraise cause to become alive again type of: bring around, bring back, bring round, bring to return to consciousness
verb return to consciousness synonyms: come to, revive animate, quicken, reanimate, recreate, renovate, repair, revive, revivify, vivify give new life or energy to revive cause to regain consciousness see moresee less type of: change state, turn undergo a transformation or a change of position or action

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