readjust
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Dr Phil Hopkins, intensive care consultant at King's, says feeling the natural elements is part of helping patients readjust when they've been "ripped from their reality" and institutionalised in hospital.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
“I’m very optimistic we won’t end up in court. But I will say, David and Anthony having to readjust their life, because of what this guy did, is unacceptable,” Dreiling said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
As for Contreras, he is scheduled to start again for Blessed Trinity next Tuesday, leaving him in the unusual position of needing to readjust to regular old high-school baseball after pitching against MLB All-Stars.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
“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
Dad pulled over to the side of the road to readjust himself mentally to the idea of driving without being able to instantly see behind him.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
