The Meaning of Resume: What It Is and How To Use It

How is the word resume used as a noun and a verb? This article will define the meaning of resume and show you how to add it to your vocabulary.

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You might have heard two pronunciations of resume. What is the difference between these two words? This article will teach you how to use the word resume as both a verb and a noun and provide a plethora of additional information about the word resume. 

What Does Resume Mean?

According to Dictionary, resume can be used as a noun and a verb. As a noun, a resume is a short descriptive summary of work experience, education, and training that a person will submit with a job application. Some resumes are specific to certain fields or applications, and others are used as a more general summary.

As a verb, to resume something means to continue. The verb resume can be used in several contexts, including practicing again, taking back, or beginning again after an interruption. 

The pronunciation of resume is ˈrɛzjʊˌmeɪ when it is used as a noun and rɪˈzjuːm when it is a verb. As a noun, resume is three syllables: re-su-me. As a verb, resume is two syllables: re-sume.

What Is the Etymology of the Word Resume?

Dictionary states that the word resume came about in the late 1300s and early 1400s as the Late Middle English resumen. This comes from the French résumé, the past participle of résumer

Therefore, this word comes from the Middle French resumer and the Latin resumere or sumere.

How Can Resume Be Used in a Sentence?

Since resume can be both a noun and a verb, it is important to understand how to incorporate these different parts of speech into your speech and writing. When looking at the below example sentences containing the word resume, see if you can identify which sentences use resume as a noun and which sentences use resume as a verb.

Example #1: Submitting a Resume

She submitted her resume and cover letter with her job application and eagerly awaited to hear back from the hiring manager.

Example #2: Resuming a Meeting

After the lunch break, we were set to resume our meetings about the new product. However, the fire alarm interrupted us further, and everyone went home for the day.

Example #3: What to Include on a Resume

He included a brief account of his work experience and a list of accomplishments under each job title on his resume.

Example #4: Resuming Your Seat

The energetic young boy had trouble resuming his seat after recess and continued bouncing off the walls as the afternoon went on.

What Are Translations of Resume?

Outside of American English and British English, many people use the word resume. If you need to talk about resuming something in another language, you can reference this long list of translations of resume from Nice Translator

How many of these translations of resume look and sound similar to English words that you know?

  • Tamil: தற்குறிப்பு
  • Gujarati: ફરી શરુ કરવું
  • Slovenian: Nadaljuj
  • Turkish: öz geçmiş
  • Lithuanian: tęsti
  • Marathi: पुन्हा सुरु करणे
  • Spanish: reanudar
  • Hebrew: קורות חיים
  • French: continuer
  • Hindi: फिर शुरू करना
  • Serbian: Резиме
  • Kannada: ಪುನರಾರಂಭಿಸು
  • Slovak: pokračovať
  • Finnish: jatkaa
  • Icelandic: halda áfram
  • Swahili: rejea
  • Latvian: turpināt
  • Vietnamese: sơ yếu lý lịch
  • Malayalam: പുനരാരംഭിക്കുക
  • Croatian: nastaviti
  • Bengali: জীবনবৃত্তান্ত
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 恢復
  • Polish: wznawianie
  • Norwegian: gjenoppta
  • Greek: ΒΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΟ
  • Thai: ประวัติย่อ
  • Chinese (PRC): 恢复
  • Portuguese (Portugal): retomar
  • Amharic: የራስ መግለጫ
  • Swedish: återuppta
  • Romanian: relua
  • German: fortsetzen
  • Catalan: resum
  • Ukrainian: резюме
  • Danish: Genoptag
  • Dutch: hervat
  • Telugu: పునఃప్రారంభం
  • Portuguese (Brazil): retomar
  • Korean: 이력서
  • Italian: riprendere
  • Bulgarian: продължи
  • Arabic: سيرة ذاتية
  • Hungarian: önéletrajz
  • Czech: životopis
  • Indonesian: melanjutkan
  • Welsh: ailddechreuaf
  • Urdu: دوبارہ شروع
  • Basque: jarraitu
  • Estonian: Jätka
  • Japanese: 履歴書
  • Filipino: ipagpatuloy
  • Russian: резюме

What Are Synonyms of Resume?

If you are using the word resume in writing, it can be confusing because both forms of the word resume are spelled the same way. While resume and resume have different pronunciations, you cannot tell the difference if you see them side by side.

In this case, it is good to use a synonym of resume like one of the ones listed below from Power Thesaurus. Then, you can be clear about which form of resume you intend to use!

  • abridgment
  • abstract
  • assume again
  • become involved in
  • begin again
  • carry on
  • carry on with
  • come back
  • come back to
  • continue
  • continue with
  • continued
  • continues
  • continuing
  • convene again
  • curriculum vitae
  • cv
  • digest
  • epitome
  • gather again
  • gentrify
  • go back to
  • go on
  • go on with
  • life history
  • outline
  • overview
  • pick up
  • precis
  • proceed
  • re-enter
  • re-executing
  • re-start
  • reactivate
  • reaffirm
  • reappear
  • reassume
  • reboot
  • recapitulate
  • recapitulation
  • recapture
  • recommence
  • recommencement
  • reconnect
  • record
  • recover
  • reenter
  • reestablish
  • regain
  • reinstitute
  • reinvigorate
  • reissue
  • renew
  • reoccupy
  • reoccur
  • reopen
  • replevy
  • repossess
  • rerunning
  • reset
  • reset action
  • resumption
  • restart
  • restarted
  • restarting
  • restore
  • retake
  • revert
  • review
  • revive
  • sketch
  • start again
  • sum up
  • summaries
  • summarize
  • summarized
  • summarizing
  • summary
  • summation
  • survey
  • synopsis
  • take back
  • take up
  • take up again

What Are Antonyms of Resume?

Several words mean the opposite of resume, which are listed below from Power Thesaurus. These words are called antonyms and are the antithesis of the word resume:

  • abandon
  • abjure
  • abstain from
  • adjourn
  • adventure
  • annul
  • arrest
  • award
  • break off
  • bring to an end
  • call a halt to
  • call off
  • can
  • cancel
  • cede
  • check
  • claw
  • come to a stop
  • complete
  • conclude
  • consummate
  • cut short
  • cutoff
  • defer
  • delay
  • desist
  • desist from
  • disband
  • discontinue
  • end
  • halt
  • hesitate
  • shut off
  • stop

Conclusion

The definition of resume (rɪˈzum/ˈrɛzjʊˌmeɪ) is twofold. First, resume can be used as a verb meaning to start back up again or continue. Second, resume can be used as a noun to refer to a document containing a list of one’s work experience.

Sources:

  1. Resume synonyms – 677 Words and Phrases for Resume | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Resume antonyms – 116 Opposites of Resume | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Resume Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  4. Resume | Nice Translator