Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to come back from the dead

to come back from the dead

23 5.5
Become successful or active again after a long time away
  • idiom
  • Informal
: resurgir
  • Like Lazarus, Chuck has come back from the dead.
  • just come back from the dead
  • want to come back from the dead
  • come back from the dead a second time

I'm so excited they're coming back from the dead baby.

Examples

  • Gillette went through the same thing, and they came back from the dead.

    Blog text (18)

  • Just because he came back from the dead, he thinks he can take on the god of thunder?

    Vikingdom (2013)

  • When people go up to me, like you really believe that Jesus died and came back from the dead, I go.

  • You say that people come back from the dead?

    Necromentia (2009)

  • Man, you came back from the dead.

    They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

  • Proof that I have come back from the dead.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • It’s my chance to come back from the dead.

    Beaches (1988)

  • You look like you’ve come back from the dead.

    The New World (2005)

  • Jesus was a carpenter, and Ray ran a fabrication shop at the shipyard, and they both came back from the dead; in my mind, rattled as I was at the time, that put them in the same boat, so to speak.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • After years of struggle, the artist has finally come back from the dead in the music scene with a new album.

Synonyms

to recover
vsto come back from the dead
865 2.5

Get back to a normal state after a loss, for example health or money

focuses more on regaining prominence or success after complete inactivity
to revive
vsto come back from the dead
113 4.2

Make something active or popular again after a time of being forgotten

refers to returning after complete inactivity or seeming failure
to rise
vsto come back from the dead
  • Literature
84 8.5

To come back to life after death

is broader and more secular, referring to regaining activity or public success
to reappear
vsto come back from the dead
61 2.7

To come back into sight after being away for a time

is stronger, focusing on returning to activity prominence or success rather than mere appearance
to resurrect
vsto come back from the dead
59 7.3

Bring back to life after death or a long absence

is used metaphorically for regaining prominence or success after absence
to bring back to life
vsto come back from the dead
58 4.8

To make people and things alive or working again

is often applied to regaining public activity or success after failure
to rise again
vsto come back from the dead
52 5.7

Come back to life or return to activity after a time away

is specifically about regaining prominence or success after total inactivity or failure
to make a comeback
vsto come back from the dead
42 3.5

To become popular or successful again after a time away

is used for regaining activity or prominence after complete inactivity or failure
to resurface
vsto come back from the dead
35 4.2

To appear again after being hidden or inactive

is about regaining active prominence or success rather than simple visibility
to rebound
vsto come back from the dead
23 4.3

To get back to normal after a problem

covers broader recovery after total inactivity rather than only fast bounce
to reanimate
vsto come back from the dead
14 7.2

To bring back life and energy to a person or thing

is broader, centered on returning to activity prominence or success
to rise from the ashes
vsto come back from the dead
11 5.7

Become successful again after a big loss or disaster

is about regaining activity or success after long inactivity or failure
to re-emerge
vsto come back from the dead
11 5.0

To appear again after being hidden or gone

has the same general appearance sense but stresses regaining active success
to reemerge
vsto come back from the dead
8 4.1

To appear again after being away or hidden

emphasises restoring activity or success not just appearing again
to return from the dead
vsto come back from the dead
7 7.9

To come back to life or appear again after people thought it was gone

is more about regaining long lost activity or success rather than mere appearance
to return to form
vsto come back from the dead
5 4.6

Get back to a previous good level of ability after a time of decline

is broader, applying to regaining public success or activity after absence
to resurge
vsto come back from the dead
3 7.4

To become active again after a slow or quiet time

emphasises renewed activity or success after long inactivity or failure
to rematerialize
vsto come back from the dead
  • US
2 9.3

To appear again after being gone or invisible

relates more to regaining activity or prominence than merely reappearing physically
to upraise
vsto come back from the dead
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To bring something dead back to life

is everyday language for regaining activity prominence or success after inactivity
to rise like Lazarus from the ashes
vsto come back from the dead
  • Literature
9.8

To recover successfully after being ruined or failing completely

is the general sense of regaining activity or prominence after inactivity

Antonyms

to fade away
86 3.0

To become weaker and then disappear over time

How Revived

to recover
865 2.5
to rebound
23 4.3
to come back from the dead
  • Informal
23 5.5
to come alive
63 3.7

Surface Forms

come back from the dead infinitive
came back from the dead past
come back from the dead past participle
coming back from the dead present participle
comes back from the dead third person singular

Morphology

come + back + from + the + dead

The expression combines the transparent verb particle 'come back' with the phrase 'from the dead' used metaphorically to signal revival; the overall meaning (regain activity or prominence after disappearance) is a metaphorical extension of the literal words. A B1 learner who knows the constituents could plausibly infer the figurative sense from the resurrection metaphor common across languages, but the required figurative/pragmatic leap means the sense is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom come back from the dead paints a picture of something thought to be dead, like a band or product, that suddenly comes back to life and works again. That's why it means 'get active or successful again' after a long time of no action or failure.