To respawn is to return to play after death or defeat at a designated spawn point, and respawn also names that return itself. Spawn points are the fixed locations where characters, enemies, and items enter the world.
Respawning solves a basic problem: permanent removal on first death would end most multiplayer matches in minutes. Instead, shooters bring players back after a short timer at a spawn point controlled by their team. The placement of those points shapes the whole map. Spawns that are too exposed let opponents camp them, while spawns that flip sides as teams advance keep pressure moving and fights centred on objectives.
Single player games use the same machinery more quietly. Enemies respawn when you rest, leave an area, or reload, which refills the world and lets players repeat fights for experience and loot. Items respawn on timers in survival and open world games, so a harvested area recovers if you return later. In Dark Souls, resting at a bonfire respawns nearly every standard enemy, tying recovery directly to renewed danger.
The verb covers both directions. Players say an enemy will respawn in thirty seconds, and they say they respawned at the base. Spawning without the prefix means the first appearance of an entity in the world, while respawning always means an appearance after a previous one ended.
In play"You will respawn at the forward base in five seconds, so call out where you died."