reclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to claim back
to reclaim baggage
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to convert (desert, marsh, waste ground, etc) into land suitable for growing crops
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to recover (useful substances) from waste products
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to convert (someone) from sin, folly, vice, etc
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falconry to render (a hawk or falcon) tame
noun
Synonym Usage
See recover.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reclaimantnoun
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reclaimernoun
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nonreclaimableadjective
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reclaimableadjective
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unreclaimableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reclaimsimple
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reclaimssimple
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have reclaimedperfect
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has reclaimedperfect
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am reclaimingprogressive
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are reclaimingprogressive
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is reclaimingprogressive
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have been reclaimingperfect progressive
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has been reclaimingperfect progressive
Past
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reclaimedsimple
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had reclaimedperfect
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was reclaimingprogressive
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were reclaimingprogressive
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had been reclaimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reclaim
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English recla(i)men, from Old French reclamer (tonic stem reclaim- ), from Latin reclāmāre “to cry out against,” equivalent to re- + clāmāre “to claim”; (noun) Middle English reclaim(e), from Old French reclaim, reclam, derivative of reclamer ; see re-, claim
Explanation
To reclaim something is to get it back. If a divorced couple remarries, they reclaim their marriage. To claim is to declare or take ownership of something. To reclaim is to retake something lost. An injured quarterback must reclaim the starting position from his replacement. Two countries fighting over territory may lose and reclaim an area of land. A bank can reclaim a house if you don't make mortgage payments. Reclaim comes from the Old French reclamer, "to call back," which is rooted in the Latin word reclamare, "cry out against, or appeal."
Vocabulary lists containing reclaim
Power Prefix: re-
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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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:
Apple finally overthrew Nvidia to reclaim the title of the world’s largest company by market capitalization, underscoring the dramatic degree to which the iPhone maker’s stock is clobbering the broader technology universe.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
In the street, the city sought to reclaim that authority from residents.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
After 20 years away — 10 at war, 10 adrift — Odysseus is anxious to reclaim his kingdom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Amy says she is relying on her bank to reclaim her money as her travel insurance was booked through GVI.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
In the summer of 48 BCE, she was ready to confront her brother and reclaim her place on the throne.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
He organizes inventory, reclaims screens and operates heavy manual and automatic presses to print tens of thousands of promotional shirts each year for customers including local breweries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
If the stock reclaims $47, it could move toward $57 by mid-2026, implying roughly 25% upside from current levels.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Before Harvard reclaims my Ph.D., let me lay out the merits of annuities.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026
After being fired from the ‘Scream’ franchise, Melissa Barrera reclaims her scream queen status with ‘Abigail,’ the latest campy, gory romp from Radio Silence Productions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2025
The man nods to himself and reclaims his cane, pulling a pale handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the boy’s fingerprints from the surface.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
At the delta of the Rhine and Meuse in the Netherlands, on land largely reclaimed from the North Sea, it's the biggest port for freight, external in Europe.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Although the stock slipped below support on April 1, it reclaimed the $100 level on June 5 with a strong 4.5% gain.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
“The home showcases a collection of reclaimed light fixtures, rich natural materials, and architectural details that evoke the character of a refined wine-country retreat while remaining perfectly suited to Los Angeles living.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Hockney wrested the title from Jeff Koons, who reclaimed it the following year, when his “Rabbit” sculpture sold for $91 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
As if I’d left them on the bus and they were waiting to be reclaimed from the lost and found.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Apple will have to streamline its process for reclaiming leased hardware and be prepared to refurbish devices at scale once customers return them, Feinseth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
It was supposed to be a fairytale reclaiming of the urn at The Oval next summer.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
In other words, to view a Shih piece is to collaborate with the artist on reconstructing or, in some cases, reclaiming an understanding of place and self.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
“What’s to stop North Carolina from taking back the Wright Flyer or New York from reclaiming the Hope diamond?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
We'd been so close to tragedy, and yet here we were, reclaiming our lives.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
