restoring to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "restoring to" is not correct in standard written English.
It seems to be a misphrasing; the correct expression is "resorting to." Example: "When faced with difficult decisions, some people resort to seeking advice from friends."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

"The term 'forest restoration' begs the question — what are you restoring to?

The New York Times

With increasing restoration initiatives for coastal wetlands, the question of 'What are we restoring to?' becomes more pressing.

Ecological Engineering

Last Saturday, at the behest of Speaker Gifford Miller, the entire Council broke up into borough delegations and combed over approximately $700 million that they had proposed restoring to the mayor's preliminary budget, with the assignment to reduce those restorations by $200 million.

The New York Times

Mrs Gandhi became its leader last year, restoring to Congress the aura of India's greatest political dynasty.

The Economist

The Fāṭimid achievement in restoring to Egypt a measure of its ancient glory was remarkable but brief.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Sure enough he won, restoring to office the party that ran Mexico for seven decades until 2000.

The Economist

He has rehabilitated fallen practices of visual storytelling, restoring to painting its ancient functions of illustration and rhetorical persuasion.

The New Yorker

Housing needs rescuing from speculation and restoring to its rightful place, at the heart of economic and environmental policy.

The Guardian - Opinion

It's all part of the same game plan: restoring to Russia whatever power and pride could be grasped from the wreckage of the nineteen-nineties.

The New Yorker

As Xi has made clear from the outset, he is intent on both defining a new world order and restoring to Chinese culture its former esteem.

The New Yorker

Mr Howard hoped to achieve his first objective by restoring to the party's MPs the sole power to elect the leader.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Be mindful of the specific context; sometimes, a more precise verb like "reinstating", "recovering", or "reviving" might be more appropriate than the broader phrase "restoring to".

Common error

Avoid using "restoring to" when a more direct phrasing like "returning to", "reverting to", or "giving back" would be more concise and grammatically sound.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "restoring to" functions as a verbal phrase indicating the act of returning something to a former state or condition. Although it appears frequently, Ludwig AI marks it as potentially grammatically incorrect, suggesting that alternatives might be more appropriate.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Encyclopedias

25%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

5%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "restoring to" appears frequently in various contexts, but it's marked by Ludwig AI as potentially incorrect. While often used to describe actions of returning something to a former state, alternatives such as "returning to", "reverting to", or "bringing back to" might be more appropriate. This inconsistency affects its grammatical acceptability, even though it appears in authoritative sources like The New York Times and The Economist. Consider using more standard alternatives for clearer and more grammatically sound communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

returning to

Focuses on the act of going back to a previous state, similar to restoring.

reverting to

Implies a return to a former condition or practice.

bringing back to

Emphasizes the act of causing something to return.

returning something to

Highlights the act of giving something back to its rightful place or condition.

reinstating to

Refers to re-establishing something to a former position or state.

reestablishing to

Implies a more formal or structured restoration.

bringing something back

Focuses on returning an item or aspect that was lost or removed.

returning back

A redundant form emphasizing the return.

recovering

Focuses on the recovery aspect without explicitly saying "to".

reviving

Implies giving new life or vigor.

FAQs

How can I use "restoring to" in a sentence?

While "restoring to" is used, consider more standard alternatives such as "returning to", "reverting to", or "bringing back to" for improved clarity.

What can I say instead of "restoring to"?

You can use alternatives like "returning to", "reverting to", or "bringing back to" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "restoring to" or "returning to"?

"Returning to" is generally preferred over "restoring to" as it aligns better with standard English grammar.

What's the difference between "restoring to" and "returning to"?

While both phrases aim to express a return to a previous state, "returning to" is more grammatically sound and commonly accepted in standard English compared to "restoring to".