Adhesion between animal cells and the underlying extracellular matrix is challenged during wounding, cell division, and a variety of pathological processes. How cells recover adhesion in the immediate aftermath of detachment from the extracellular matrix remains incompletely understood, due in part to technical limitations. Here, we used acute chemical and mechanical perturbations to examine how epithelial cells respond to partial delamination events. In both cases, we found that cells extended lamellipodia to establish readhesion within seconds of detachment. These lamellipodia were guided by sparse membrane tethers whose tips remained attached to their original points of adhesion, yielding lamellipodia that appear to be qualitatively distinct from those observed during cell migration. In vivo measurements in the context of a zebrafish wound assay showed a similar behavior, in which membrane tethers guided rapidly extending lamellipodia. In the case of mechanical wounding events, cells selectively extended tether-guided lamellipodia in the direction opposite of the pulling force, resulting in the rapid reestablishment of contact with the substrate. We suggest that membrane tether-guided lamellipodial respreading may represent a general mechanism to reestablish tissue integrity in the face of acute disruption.