re·an·i·mate (r?-?n??-m?t?)tr.v. re·an·i·mat·ed, re·an·i·mat·ing, re·an·i·mates 1. To give new life to: attempts to reanimate a dead body.2. To reconstruct or re-create: a book that reanimates Mayan civilization.3. To reinvigorate: reanimate a friendship.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.