readjust
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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readjustsimple
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readjustssimple
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have readjustedperfect
-
has readjustedperfect
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am readjustingprogressive
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are readjustingprogressive
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is readjustingprogressive
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have been readjustingperfect progressive
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has been readjustingperfect progressive
Past
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readjustedsimple
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had readjustedperfect
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was readjustingprogressive
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were readjustingprogressive
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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:
If that happens, investors must buy the stock at those put strikes, or readjust the position with some trading.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025
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
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
"The job situation is really, really challenging in mainland China, so I think a lot of young people have to really readjust their expectations," says Professor Zhang Jun from the City University of Hong Kong.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2025
She paused to readjust Chicken’s arms, which clung to her neck in a way that made breathing difficult.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Here are some of the things to watch as the oil market readjusts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 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
Frank S. takes a drink from the water fountain, readjusts his toga, and walks out the front doors.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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
Most other income-driven repayment plans, where payments are readjusted each year based on earnings and household size, forgive any remaining balance after a set number of years, usually 20.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
She readjusted her hair, pinning it back into place and switching out her blouse for one freshly ironed, and strode into her office just in time for Boaz to arrive with his cash box.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
“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
Mahad Mohamud is slowly readjusting to the heat, chaos and tension of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, after being deported from the US city of Minneapolis last month just as winter was closing in there.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025
They say failure to reach a deal by next month could significantly prolong the strike because some companies will give up on their fourth quarters and begin readjusting next year’s film slates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023
It fluttered the skirts of the two women and kept them for a while engaged in adjusting, readjusting, tucking in, securing hair-pins and hatpins.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
