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remake

UK/ˌɹiːˈmeɪk/US/ɹiˈmeɪk/
nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #8,263 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: remakes

A remake is a new version of a film that already existed. A Hollywood remake, remake of a classic, another remake.

It is a different production of the same story, which is what distinguishes it from a sequel or a restoration. Studios make them because a known title is easier to sell than a new one, and audiences complain about them for the same reason. Note that the verb is stressed on the second syllable and the noun on the first.

Definitions of remake

  1. 1nounremakeA new version of a film that already existed.B2

    “The remake of the old horror film had better special effects but a weaker story.”

remake is a new version.

Where it comes from

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *meh₂ǵ-

  2. Proto-Germanic

    *makaz — agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable

  3. Proto-West Germanic

    *makōn — to build, make, work

  4. Old English

    macian — to build, make, work

  5. Middle English

    macen

  6. English

    make

  7. English, today

    remake

Built from

  • *mak · Proto-West Germanic — agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable
  • *meh₂ḱ- · Proto-Indo-European — to knead
  • *meg- · Proto-Indo-European — to be comfortable, pleasant

From re- + make. make comes from Middle English macen, machiæ, macian, macke, mak, make, maken, makiȝe, from Old English macian (“to build, make, work”), from Proto-West Germanic makōn (“to build, make, work”), from mak (“agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable”), from Proto-Germanic makaz (“agreeable, comfortable, fit, suitable”), from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ-, meh₂ḱ- (“to knead”) or meg- (“to be comfortable, pleasant”). Related to match. 2 Cognate with Scots mak (“to make”), yol maak, maake (“to make”), frr maage, maaki, mååge (“to make”), stq moakje (“to make; to repair; to prepare; to preach; to earn”), West Frisian meitsje (“to make”), gsw mache (“to make; to do”), bar måcha, måchn (“to make; to do; to go; to cause; to play; to matter; to look”), cim machan (“to make”), Dutch and Low German maken (“to make”), German machen (“to make; to do; to go; to cause; to play; to fare; to look”), lb maachen, man (“to make; to do; to take; to equal; to put”), mhn mòchen (“to make”), wym mahha (“to make; to do”), Yiddish מאַכן (“to create, make; to do; to say”); also probably Irish mám (“yoke; duty, obligation; function, service”), Latin mācerō (“to soften; to weaken; to mortify; to torture”), Ancient Greek μάσσω (“to handle, knead; to wipe”), Bulgarian ма́жа (“to smear; to oil”), Czech mazat (“to lubricate; to spread; to smear; to scribble; to erase”), Polish mazać (“to smear; to scribble; to pule, whimper”), Russian ма́зать (“to oil; to paint; to smear; to soil; to miss”), Serbo-Croatian ма̏зати, mȁzati (“to smear; to dirty”), Ukrainian ма́зати (“to smear”), xcl մած (“glued together, joined; coagulated, curdled; adhesive, sticking; compact; dense”), Hindi मचाना (“to cause, raise, wreak”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Photography & Film

Practise this word

remake in the wild

  • If created by the community, video game remakes are sometimes also called fan games and can be seen as part of the retro gaming phenomenon.

    Video game remake

  • Intent on making the remake a straight horror, Snyder took over to direct to keep every aspect of the production as grounded in reality as possible.

    Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)

  • A remake was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2024.

    Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

  • Robert Englund, who portrayed Freddy Krueger in the previous eight films, voiced his support of the remake and the casting of Haley in the role of Krueger.

    A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film)

  • Plans for a remake of 1994's The Lion King were confirmed in September 2016 following box office successes for Disney remakes such as The Jungle Book.

    The Lion King (2019 film)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the macian family

make

remake — used about once every 3,257 pages · #8,263 · point at the bar for the others

  • maker