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• re
  re

  noun

  the syllable used for the second tone of a diatonic scale.
• 're
  're

  contraction of are: They're leaving.
• Re
  Re

  noun

  Ra.
• R/E
  R/E

  real estate.
• re-
  re-

  a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or “backward” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion.
• Re.
  Re.

  abbreviation

  rupee.
• r.e.
  r.e.

  abbreviation

  right end.
• R.E.
  R.E.

  abbreviation

  real estate.
• RE
  RE

  abbreviation

  Reformed Episcopal

re

¹ American  

[ray] / reɪ /

noun

Music.

• res
  plural

1. 

   the syllable used for the second tone of a diatonic scale.

2. (in the fixed system of solmization) the tone D.

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re ² American  

[ree, ray] / ri, reɪ /

preposition

Chiefly Law and Commerce.

1. in the case of; with reference to; in re.

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're ³ American  

[er] / ər /

1. contraction of are: They're leaving.

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Re ⁴ American  

[ray] / reɪ /

noun

Egyptian Religion.

1. Ra.

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Re ⁵ American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. rhenium.

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R/E ⁶ American  

Or RE

1. real estate.

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re- ⁷ American  

1. a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or “backward” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion.

   regenerate; refurbish; retype; retrace; revert.

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Re. ⁸ American  

Or re.

abbreviation

1. rupee.

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r.e. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

Football.

1. right end.

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R.E. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

1. real estate.

2. Reformed Episcopal.

3. Right Excellent.

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RE ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Reformed Episcopal

2. Religious Education

3. Right Excellent

4. Royal Engineers

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re- ² British  

prefix

1. indicating return to a previous condition, restoration, withdrawal, etc

   rebuild

   renew

   retrace

   reunite

2. indicating repetition of an action

   recopy

   remarry

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Re ³ British  

/ reɪ /

noun

1. another name for Ra 2

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Re ⁴ British  

symbol

1. rhenium

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Re ⁵ British  

symbol

1. rupee

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're ⁶ British  

contraction

1. are

   we're

   you're

   they're

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re ⁷ British  

/ riː, reɪ /

noun

1. music a variant spelling of ray 3

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re ⁸ British  

/ riː /

preposition

1. with reference to

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re ⁹ British  

abbreviation

1. Reunion Island

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Usage

See contraction.

Verbs beginning with re- indicate repetition or restoration. It is unnecessary to add an adverb such as back or again : This must not occur again (not recur again ); we recounted the votes (not recounted the votes again , which implies that the votes were counted three times, not twice)

Re , in contexts such as re your letter, your remarks have been noted or he spoke to me re your complaint , is common in business or official correspondence. In general English with reference to is preferable in the former case and about or concerning in the latter. Even in business correspondence, the use of re is often restricted to the letter heading

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• res
  plural

Etymology

Origin of re¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; see origin at gamut

Origin of re²

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin rē “(in the) matter, affair, thing,” ablative of rēs

Origin of re-⁷

Middle English < Latin re-, red-

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

re 're Re re- r.e. R.E. RE res

Opera Philadelphia opened its season last week at the Academy of Music with a rarity: Mozart’s “Mitridate, re di Ponto,” written in 1770 for Milan when the composer was 14 years old.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

She added that many of Al Fayed's alleged victims would be distressed by the breach, saying: "For me, it's more of the same, really, and deeply re abusive, to be honest. It's unbelievable."

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Writing in the Yale Law Journal, Cherneff reconstructed the history of In re Turner, an 1867 decision by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase that helped end the re-enslavement of Black children through involuntary “apprenticeships.”

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

To investigate further, the team re examined every fossil bone previously identified as belonging to geese.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

“We re not demons! You people have lost your minds!”

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

But if you 're looking for a sweet dessert, serve with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2024

“We ’re not trying to single out one nation,” Kerry said.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2021

"They 're not going to let you come in here and just – help people."

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2018

"The parties need to try and see if we 're going to move, if we're going to have power sharing, and if not we're going to have to deal with the consequences."

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2017

I think I know what you ’re doing.

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Swiss Re forecasts that global premiums for insuring data centers will likely reach $20 billion to $30 billion a year by 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Find insight on Coinbase, Munich Re, Standard Life and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Economists at the Swiss Re Institute in July projected that overall P&C combined ratios in the U.S. would be 95% this year, up from about 94% last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Find insight on Hannover Re, ABN AMRO, Suncorp and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Ogion the Silent had come home late to Re Albi from his autumn wanderings.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

He has helped his servant Israel, in re-

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025

"This study could be the initial mover for re- evaluating the comet interior evolution and activity theory."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024

The lens is dynamic, focusing and re- focusing light as the eye rests on near and far objects in the visual field.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Guard soldiers typically form a second line behind them, designed to keep protesters from breaking police lines and to move away arrestees, freeing up officers to re- engage with protesters.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2021

“Oh my gosh,” re- membered trainer Jimmy Jones.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

The solar technology company expanded its relationship with renewable energy company BayWa r.e.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2022

The whole issue of 2018 estimated r.e. taxes paid in 2017 will be an extremely sticky wicket.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2017

To r.e., re—c.a.p., cap, recap—i.t, it, re—capit—Lor'! what a twister!—u, recapitu—l.a.t.e, late, re-cap-it-u-late the events de-tailed in my last letter, full stop—there! if I han't read that full stop out loud!

From I Saw Three Ships and Other Winter Tales by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

Today’s investigators spoke with the founder of the R.E.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2023

"Goodbar was chasing the family dog when she entered the roadway and was struck by the vehicle," Virginia State Police Senior Trooper R.E.

From Fox News ● Oct. 30, 2018

Other authors, like Mike Brooks in his Keiko trilogy and R.E.

From The Verge ● Mar. 29, 2018

People rejected the first cars because belching engines frightened horses, says Adcock, executive director of the R.E.

From Washington Times ● May 31, 2014

Raban, R.E., was detached with part of a rocket battery, to take up a position on the hillside and open fire on Konoma, simultaneously with the guns.

From My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga Hills by James Johnstone, chevalier de Johnstone

The ruling outlined how Z had attended St Bede's school in Redhill in the 1980s where Tudor was chaplain and an RE teacher.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026

He has appointed a new panel to review the syllabus, which means the four main Christian churches will not be solely responsible for deciding what is taught in RE.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

Teaching RE and coollective worship are legally compulsory in all schools in Northern Ireland, except nursery schools.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

But the RE syllabus will change to include other main religions and philosophical traditions, Paul Givan added.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

RE, COMTE, on the assumption of a yellow colour by all varieties of maize.

From The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication — Volume 2 by Charles Darwin

We open in medias res when the 23-year-old Col.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

We begin in medias res as the unnamed author frets about his choice to begin at chapter 13 rather than the more traditional chapter 1.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

The law deems them res nullius, which literally means a thing belonging to nobody - so responsibility falls to individual landowners.

From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025

Instead of plopping us into an eternity in media res, with its own rules and regulations already in place, Freyne introduces something novel to this process: a choice.

From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025

Perhaps the deliverance from res angusta domi helped him to paint better.

From Through East Anglia in a Motor Car by J. E. (James Edmund) Vincent

Related Words

• depend on
• rest on