reclaim

American  

[ri-kleym] / rɪˈkleɪm /

verb (used with object)

1. to bring (uncultivated areas or wasteland) into a condition for cultivation or other use.

2. to recover (substances) in a pure or usable form from refuse, discarded articles, etc.

   Synonyms:

   restore, regain

3. to bring back to a preferable manner of living, sound principles, ideas, etc.

4. to tame.

5. re-claim.

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verb (used without object)

1. to protest; object.

noun

1. reclamation.

   beyond reclaim.

reclaim British  

/ rɪˈkleɪm /

verb

1. to claim back

   to reclaim baggage

2. to convert (desert, marsh, waste ground, etc) into land suitable for growing crops

3. to recover (useful substances) from waste products

4. to convert (someone) from sin, folly, vice, etc

5. falconry to render (a hawk or falcon) tame

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noun

1. the act of reclaiming or state of being reclaimed

Related Words

See recover.

Other Word Forms

• nonreclaimable adjective
• reclaimable adjective
• reclaimant noun
• reclaimer noun
• unreclaimable adjective

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 ; 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."

Example Sentences

SuEllen Sanchez and her sister, Keilah Sanchez, were among those who shared their stories with investigators, expecting the government would help them reclaim what they lost.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Can a series disappear for four years and reclaim its choke hold on the culture?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Mitsotakis, who notes the fraud began before he came to power in 2019, has vowed to imprison the "thieves" responsible and to reclaim the funds.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Learning to cook, it transpires, was the second strand of her plan to reclaim some normality after the whirlwind of her early 20s.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Brave Orchid seated Moon Orchid and dramatically introduced her, “This is my sister who has come to Gold Mountain to reclaim her husband.”

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

Related Words

• convert
• recover
• rescue
• restore
• salvage