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to respawn

to respawn

2 6.4
To appear again in the game after being defeated
  • verb
  • /rɪˈspɔːn/
  • Jargon
translation icon : reaparecer
  • After I died in the game, I had to wait a few seconds before I could respawn and continue playing.

Examples

  • They house all the vehicle and equipment terminals, and as expected, no matter where you might be defeated on the map, you can always respawn at the warp gate.

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  • So in previous COD games (not sure about BO1), you have infinitely respawning enemies, so you have to move forward all the time in order to stop their respawning (can't stay at a distance picking off the enemies before moving forward, etc.).

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  • I think I respawn in six seconds.

  • Respawn and meet me at the dock.

  • Why don't you just respawn and level up like everyone else?

  • We were able to respawn as runners by fulfilling two tasks.

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  • But the fact that enemies respawn when you reload checkpoints is a bit stupid.

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  • A single bite from a zombie will end your character's life and respawn you as a new survivor, but without any of the weapons or items you collected earlier.

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  • They roost in a central corridor you have to pass several times, but they respawn, so killing them is a waste of ammunition.

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  • Do you keep on going without lighting a bonfire, risking losing all your collected souls, or do you rest at a bonfire and respawn every single enemy you just defeated?

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Synonyms

to revive
vsto respawn
104 4.2

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

is the same revival idea but limited to video games
to reappear
vsto respawn
70 2.7

To come back into sight after being away for a time

is similar in coming back but does not imply being brought to life
to resurrect
vsto respawn
44 7.3

Bring back to life after death or a long absence

matches this return but specifically inside a game context
to rise again
vsto respawn
35 5.7

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

shares literal return but is used for game respawning specifically
to resurface
vsto respawn
34 4.2

To appear again after being hidden or inactive

matches returning presence but not the revival or game revival meaning
to reanimate
vsto respawn
16 7.2

To bring back life and energy to a person or thing

overlaps in restoring life but is less tied to games
to come back from the dead
vsto respawn
  • Informal
15 5.5

Become successful or active again after a long time away

is similar but refers to returning as a game character after death
to reenter
vsto respawn
14 3.2

To go back into a place or situation after leaving it

relates to reentry physically but not to coming back to life in games
to bring back to life
vsto respawn
9 4.8

To make people and things alive or working again

expresses the same restoration but focused on gaming situations
to reemerge
vsto respawn
8 4.1

To appear again after being away or hidden

shares the coming-back idea but not the act of reviving in a game
to regenerate
vsto respawn
6 5.5

Bring something back to a better or original state

overlaps with revival but focuses on restoration rather than player reentry
5 7.9

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

conveys the same comeback but usually within a virtual match
to upraise
vsto respawn
  • Archaic
5 9.9

To bring something dead back to life

means the same revival but without the gaming, modern sense
to rematerialize
vsto respawn
  • US
4 9.3

To appear again after being gone or invisible

shares reappearance but lacks the life-restoration gaming aspect
to rez
vsto respawn
  • Jargon
9.9

To make a player alive again in a video game

is the standard in-game term for this exact action

Antonyms

502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

How Often

to respawn
  • Jargon
2 6.4
to generate
537 3.2

Surface Forms

respawn infinitive
respawned past
respawned past participle
respawning present participle
respawns third person singular

Morphology

respawn = spawn (transparent) = re + spawn

Given the gaming verb 'spawn', adding 're-' straightforwardly yields the meaning 'spawn again' or 'appear again after removal or death'.

Etymology

The verb respawn is made from re- 'again' and spawn 'to produce', so to respawn means to appear or be brought back again in a game after being eliminated.