reclassify
Americanverb (used with object)
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reclassifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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reclassified,
past participle, past
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reclassifying
present participle
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to classify anew.
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to change the security classification of (information, a document, etc.).
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reclassifysimple
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reclassifiessimple
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have reclassifiedperfect
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has reclassifiedperfect
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am reclassifyingprogressive
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are reclassifyingprogressive
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is reclassifyingprogressive
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have been reclassifyingperfect progressive
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has been reclassifyingperfect progressive
Past
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reclassifiedsimple
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had reclassifiedperfect
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was reclassifyingprogressive
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were reclassifyingprogressive
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had been reclassifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reclassify
Explanation
When you reclassify something, you change its category. A bookseller might reclassify a memoir as "fiction" after it's revealed that the author invented most of the people and events in it. Your boss where you work part-time may reclassify you as a full-time worker in the summer, when you have more time for your job. And your school might consider cheerleading to be a club, while some others have decided to reclassify it as a sport. In both cases, something has changed categories. The verb reclassify adds the "again" prefix re- to classify, which means "put into a class or group."
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:
The federal probe prompted Walter’s insurers to conduct a review and reclassify more than a third of their assets as connected to their owner, the insurers said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
"We want to reclassify depression based on its molecular features, similar to what has been done in cancer," Dupont says.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
They all stand to benefit from a peptide boom if the Food and Drug Administration decides to reclassify seven peptides, allowing these products to be legally compounded.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Beach hut owners say they are looking into the legal basis of plans to reclassify their huts as second homes for the purposes of council tax.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
The Board may also reclassify cities as reserve or central reserve cities, or terminate their designation as such.
From Readings in Money and Banking Selected and Adapted by Chester Arthur Phillips
While the reconstitution of the Nasdaq-100 happens only once a year, changes can happen at other times, such as when a current member transfers to another exchange or reclassifies as a financial company.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 13, 2025
After that, Veena Dubal, a law professor at UC–Hastings, talks about worker strikes at Uber and Lyft, and sheds light on a California case that reclassifies most gig workers as employees rather than of contractors.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2019
The premise is that Nathan Fielder, a white male Canadian comic, is a gonzo business consultant: he rebrands a Realtor as a “ghost Realtor”; he reclassifies smoke detectors as musical instruments.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 25, 2018
This one reclassifies: One person’s pack rat is another’s collector.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2018
That number might seem high, but it pales in comparison to what might happen when the Oregon School Activities Association reclassifies for the 2018-19 school year.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2017
S&P Dow Jones Indices has reclassified Poland as a developed economy, which is an upgrade for the country as the data provider had previously rated it as an emerging market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Pras: The Frenchman has been reclassified as a forward and is facing competition for minutes alongside Greek youngster Charalampos Kostoulas.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio last year reclassified about $20 million from donor-restricted to unrestricted, according to a 2025 audit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Bonta’s office, along with state fire marshal, are also challenging that oversight in court, arguing the lines that run through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kern counties were incorrectly reclassified as intrastate pipelines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
He had fought for South Africa during World War II in North Africa and Italy, but after his return, a white bureaucrat had reclassified him as African.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"Expanding the Homo genus to also include species of Australopithecus and Paranthropus will allow us to account for differences without regularly reclassifying particular groups."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
However, the FDA’s own scientists have recommended against reclassifying the seven peptides, saying there isn’t enough data about their safety risks, clinical benefits or how they are manufactured.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Leon said on Thursday that he thought the project required congressional approval, adding that the administration reclassifying the ballroom plans as vital for national security appeared to be an attempted work around.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
Huntington Beach coach Benji Medure said reclassifying is not for everyone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
Part D is intended to inform examiners reclassifying within examining divisions respecting the initial procedure in reforming a class.
From The Classification of Patents by United States Patent Office
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.
