Resume

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: rÄ­zjoÍžom', IPA: /rɪˈzjuːm/
• US enPR: rÄ­z(j)oÍžom', IPA: /rɪˈz(j)um/
• Australia enPR: rÉ™zjoÍžom', IPA: /rəˈzjuːm/
• Rhymes: -uːm

From Anglo-Norman resumer, Middle French resumer, from Latin resumere, from re- + sumere ("to take").

Full definition of resume

Verb

1. (now rare) To take back possession of (something). from 15th c.
• 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p. 8:For after that initiation it was impossible to attach any profound importance to the notion of dying. All individual deaths had been resumed by the death of God!
2. (now rare) To summarise. from 15th c.
• 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p. 36:He ... used to say that each separate death had taught him something new about death, and that he was going to resume this knowledge in a philosophic essay about dying.
3. To start (something) again that has been stopped or paused from the point at which it was stopped or paused; continue, carry on. from 15th c.We will resume this discussion tomorrow at nine.

Usage notes

This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See

Antonyms

• (to start (something) again) suspend

Related terms

• resumption

From French résumé

Alternative forms

• résumé, resumé

Noun

1. (US) A summary of education and employment experience.

Usage notes

The spellings résumé and, to a lesser extent, resumé are preferred by dictionaries, while the spelling resume is more likely to be found on the web. See also résumé#Usage notes.