rise from the dead

verb

To become alive (or undead) after having died.

OriginAncient Greek ἀνίστημι ἐκ νεκρῶν →
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Meanings

verbrise from the dead (third-person singular simple present rises from the dead, present participle rising from the dead, simple past rose from the dead, past participle risen from the dead)

present singular third person rises from the dead · participle present rising from the dead · past rose from the dead · participle past risen from the dead

  1. To become alive (or undead) after having died.

    “My husband is a man of God,” she repeated. “He had an accident and died, but God has told me that if I can get him to Bonnke, he will rise from the dead.”

    2014, Reinhard Bonnke, Raised From the Dead: The Miracle that Brings Promise to America
    1 more example

    The story of dead Ebola victims rising from the dead, with the first "picture" of one of the zombies that has gone viral, (if it weren't glaringly obvious) is a hoax.

    2014 October 6, Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, “Ebola 'risen from the dead' zombie story is a complete hoax”, in Independent
  2. figurativelyTo come back into general use after becoming obsolete.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀνίστημι ἐκ νεκρῶν
  2. Englishrise from the dead

A translation of the Ancient Greek ἀνίστημι ἐκ νεκρῶν (anístēmi ek nekrôn), from ἀνίστημι (anístēmi) and νεκρός (nekrós, “dead person; dead”). Used in the King James Bible, for instance.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic قام
  • قام (qām)to become alive after having died
Finnish nousta kuolleista
  • nousta kuolleistato become alive after having died
French ressusciter d'entre les morts
  • ressusciter d'entre les mortsto become alive after having died
German von den Toten auferstehen
  • von den Toten auferstehento become alive after having died
Polish zmartwychwstać, zmartwychwstawać
  • zmartwychwstaćto become alive after having died
  • zmartwychwstawaćto become alive after having died
  • ożyćto become alive after having died
Portuguese ressuscitar dos mortos
  • ressuscitar dos mortosto become alive after having died
Russian восстать из мёртвых, ожить
  • восстать из мёртвых (vosstatʹ iz mjórtvyx)to become alive after having died
  • ожить (ožitʹ)to become alive after having died
Swedish uppstå från de döda
  • uppstå från de dödato become alive after having died
Cite this entry
APA

rise from the dead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rise%20from%20the%20dead

MLA

“rise from the dead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rise%20from%20the%20dead. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rise from the dead,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rise%20from%20the%20dead.

Source: rise from the dead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.