readjust
Americanverb (used with object)
-
readjusts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
readjusted,
past participle, past
-
readjusting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
readjustsimple
-
readjustssimple
-
have readjustedperfect
-
has readjustedperfect
-
am readjustingprogressive
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are readjustingprogressive
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is readjustingprogressive
-
have been readjustingperfect progressive
-
has been readjustingperfect progressive
Past
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readjustedsimple
-
had readjustedperfect
-
was readjustingprogressive
-
were readjustingprogressive
-
had been readjustingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of readjust
Explanation
You could readjust your TV antenna, your thinking, or the collar of your shirt. Whatever it is, when you readjust something, you make slight changes again and again until you get it right. When you adjust something, you make a change in order to improve something, such as a driver adjusting the side-view mirror on a car in order to see other cars better. So, when you add the prefix re-, it means "to adjust over and over." In the case of the mirror, you would readjust its angle until you can see perfectly well from your seat in the car.
Vocabulary lists containing readjust
Power Prefix: re-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: re-
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Power Prefix: Re-
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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.
See Examples For:
“It makes sense for Asian markets—and all markets—to readjust because we are now in a level of uncertainty I can’t remember seeing—and that is greater than during Covid,” Gave said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026
Holed up at a rental home in Colts Neck, N.J., in late 1981, Bruce has just finished a tour and is trying to readjust to the quiet, which is just too loud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
Swash says society needs to "readjust" how it sees young dads.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
But sportsbooks can suspend wagering or halt bettors’ ability to cash out of winning bets—which often happens precisely at game-changing moments, as bookmakers readjust the odds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2025
Connor is still calling out, still flailing in the back seat, and I hear the tears in his voice as Mom circles the car and hastily tries to readjust his buckles.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
“The system” readjusts itself so it can always work in some rough way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Strategic petroleum reserves designed to calm markets after a major supply shock may remain unused because the market calms and readjusts on its own.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
The little help he’s able to offer when he readjusts a fallen flag makes his day.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2024
As he readjusts his pyjamas, his left hand reveals three missing fingers.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2023
He pulls the bun up around it like a cardigan, takes a tiny bite, readjusts the bun, and starts all over again.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
After Thursday’s labor print came in weaker than expected, traders readjusted their Fed forecasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
But at the same time the Treasury has readjusted the rateable values of commercial property, meaning some businesses will be faced with bigger bills overall.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
“It was a found object that we readjusted to our purposes, kind of like the character,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
But with Fain’s election and the new contracts, the union has “cured or readjusted all of that rhetoric,” Wheaton said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023
“Odds are we’re all sick,” Alec grumbled as he readjusted the straps of his backpack.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
The market might not be imploding so much as readjusting as the tech industry succumbs to more realistic expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
In light of the still-ongoing backlash, one may reasonably wonder whether Sony made a severe miscalculation here, and whether it may end up listening to the fans and readjusting accordingly.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Investors are readjusting their risk budget right now in a risk-off mood on Friday, and that the AI momentum is now becoming AI anxiety,” said Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Current economic policymakers could "hardly guide the work of readjusting the country's industry as a whole and upgrading it technologically", Kim warned.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
“You’re a mess,” she mutters, readjusting the faded purple faja around my waist and then, in frustration, unwrapping the entire wide ribbon.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
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.
