redefine
Britishverb
Explanation
Redefine means to "give new meaning to." A really fantastic song might redefine what rock and roll can mean to people. A great muffin might redefine the idea of what a muffin can be. Technically, redefine means to define again or differently––to give a new meaning. As a basketball player, Michael Jordan redefined the jump shot––it became something much more common and much more aggressively taken. By turning the packaging design of Campbell's soup into paintings, Andy Warhol redefined art.
Vocabulary lists containing redefine
President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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Should girls be allowed to join the boy scouts? 10 Vocab Words
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for March 4–March 10, 2023
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Becky Peterson and Corrie Driebusch explore the blurred lines of Musk’s empire and how an unprecedented merger could redefine both companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
"When you connect genetic data with detailed clinical information across large populations, you can start to redefine diseases in ways that directly impact patient care."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Her portrayal of Doralee Rhodes combined comic timing with warmth, helping to redefine expectations of performers crossing over from music into film.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Apple is already so large, profitable, and deeply embedded in its customers’ lives that incremental excellence may no longer be enough to redefine the company,” Mohan cautioned.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Funny how the needs of your own body redefine the parameters of what you’d settle for.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.