rearrange
Britishverb
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to put (something) into a new order
to rearrange the lighting
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to put (something) back in its original order after it has been displaced
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to fix a new date or time for (something postponed)
to rearrange a match
Other Word Forms
Explanation
When you rearrange something, you change its position or reorganize its contents. You could rearrange your bookshelves so that the books are sorted by color, rather than by title or author. After riding in a car with the windows down, you might need to rearrange your scarf and hairdo. And, if you're making room in your apartment for a friend to stay over, you might want to rearrange your furniture to accommodate an air mattress. You can also rearrange a schedule or routine. This word adds the "back or again" prefix, re-, to arrange, a verb which originally meant "draw up a battle line."
Vocabulary lists containing rearrange
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.
We could rearrange the portfolios differently to tamp down the risk, selecting companies that are not projected to grow so quickly, but the current market environment justifies the risk — and will reward it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Loyal Otto — rearrange the letters in his name — has a Tin Man-esque steel plate in his head; Marino and Slattery both share the Cowardly Lion’s temper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Together, the findings provide a clearer picture of how these important sandwich compounds form and rearrange during chemical reactions.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
Then you work through the actual draft, asking the AI to do things like rearrange sections or adjust the tone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
He began to rearrange the newspapers, avoiding her eyes.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions 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.
