reclamation
Americannoun
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the reclaiming of desert, marshy, or submerged areas or other wasteland for cultivation or other use.
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the act or process of reclaiming.
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the state of being reclaimed.
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the process or industry of deriving usable materials from waste, by-products, etc.
noun
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the conversion of desert, marsh, or other waste land into land suitable for cultivation
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the recovery of useful substances from waste products
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the act of reclaiming or state of being reclaimed
Other Word Forms
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; see reclaim) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Reclamation is the act of returning something to a former, better state. Land reclamation might involve razing a strip mall and planting crops. Reclamation is the noun form of the verb to reclaim. Most people involved in reclamation want to reclaim something out of a sense of moral or environmental duty. Since re- means "again," it makes sense that a reclamation involves restoring something to its former glory, especially something that has gone to the dogs. Anything that's fallen on hard times is a good candidate for reclamation.
Vocabulary lists containing reclamation
East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - High School
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Natural Resources and the Environment - Introductory
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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.
Each year, the Bureau of Reclamation is required to release a plan detailing how it will keep water downstream of Shasta Dam cold enough to protect salmon.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Richard Shaffer, asset manager at Scrubgrass Reclamation Company, emailed asking for an exemption covering a western Pennsylvania power plant that burns coal waste.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
With reservoir levels so low and the negotiations failing, Gold said, “there was really no choice but for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to step in and take a bold action.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Bureau of Reclamation, has also supported the idea.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
Roland Kyburz, the Bureau of Reclamation head, cleared his throat prior to changing the subject.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
