Definition of refresh

clear part or all of a computer screen and redraw it. When an Internet site "hangs" in loading, using the Refresh button sometimes clears the problem.

1. to update the contents of a window to show information that has changed; to repaint the screen.
2. to reload the contents of a web page from the machine on which it resides.
3. to regenerate the display on a video screen by scanning the screen with an electron beam. Though it seems to, the screen does not glow continuously; instead, it is refreshed 30 to 90 times per second, rather like a movie screen.
4. to freshen the contents of a memory chip. Dynamic RAM chips have to be refreshed many times per second; on each refresh cycle, they read their own contents and then store the same information back into the same memory location.