reclamation

American  

[rek-luh-mey-shuhn] / ˌrɛk ləˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the reclaiming of desert, marshy, or submerged areas or other wasteland for cultivation or other use.

2. the act or process of reclaiming.

3. the state of being reclaimed.

4. the process or industry of deriving usable materials from waste, by-products, etc.

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reclamation British  

/ ˌrɛkləˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the conversion of desert, marsh, or other waste land into land suitable for cultivation

2. the recovery of useful substances from waste products

3. the act of reclaiming or state of being reclaimed

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Other Word Forms

• nonreclamation noun

Etymology

Origin of reclamation

1525–35, in sense “a protest”; < Middle French < Latin reclāmātiōn- (stem of reclāmātiō ) crying out against, equivalent to reclāmāt ( us ) (past participle of reclāmāre; reclaim ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

After watching Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl with the fifth NFL team of his career, more NFL teams might be willing to take a chance on a reclamation project.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

“The Bride!” is a wild, willfully over-the-top double-barreled reinvigoration of 1935’s “Bride of Frankenstein” that is always doing something a little extra in telling its unpredictable story of identity and the reclamation of the self.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Her journey from a two-year-old cancer patient to a woman reshaping how Ghana sees disability is not a story of survival, it is a story of reclamation.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Hulshof said the regime change may “at least conceptually enhance ConocoPhillips’ position to benefit from either reclamation of assets or ease of payments.”

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

At that point, the Transit Authority hired William Bratton to head the transit police, and the second stage of the reclamation of the subway system began.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell