reconstruct
Americanverb (used with object)
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reconstructs,
present (3rd person singular)
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reconstructed,
past participle, past
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reconstructing
present participle
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to construct again; rebuild; make over.
The church was burned in 1895, but reconstructed in 1897.
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to re-create in the mind from given or available information.
The first step in solving this crime was to reconstruct the events of the murder.
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to cause to abandon earlier positions, beliefs, etc.; cause to adjust to new or current situations.
He's a reconstructed man with progressive views on gender equality.
The protesters and resisters refuse to be reconstructed.
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Historical Linguistics. to arrive at (hypothetical earlier forms of words, phonemic systems, etc.) by comparison of data from a later language or group of related languages.
verb
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to construct or form again; rebuild
to reconstruct a Greek vase from fragments
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to form a picture of (a crime, past event, etc) by piecing together evidence or acting out a version of what might have taken place
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reconstructernoun
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reconstructionnoun
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reconstructornoun
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reconstructibleadjective
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reconstructiveadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reconstructsimple
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reconstructssimple
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have reconstructedperfect
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has reconstructedperfect
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am reconstructingprogressive
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are reconstructingprogressive
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is reconstructingprogressive
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have been reconstructingperfect progressive
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has been reconstructingperfect progressive
Past
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reconstructedsimple
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had reconstructedperfect
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was reconstructingprogressive
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were reconstructingprogressive
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had been reconstructingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reconstruct
Explanation
If the verb to "construct" means to build something, then to reconstruct means to build it again. You can reconstruct a building, a city, or even an idea. If a house is destroyed in a fire, earthquake, or flood, you might try to reconstruct it — or you could build a totally new one. Either way, though, you could still be said to be reconstructing your home. Some buildings were destroyed so long ago that we don't know what they really looked like. The same can be said for whole cities and cultures. Still, archeologists try to reconstruct how those cities and cultures appeared at the time that they were flourishing. Linguists reconstruct long-dead languages. Detectives try to reconstruct crimes in order to figure out who committed them.
Vocabulary lists containing reconstruct
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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:
Finding more of these hidden systems could help scientists reconstruct the history of black hole mergers and better understand how the universe produced its most massive black holes so early in cosmic history.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Because the molecules would be positioned at different angles, computers could analyze and combine their images to reconstruct a highly detailed molecular structure.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
The AI helped them reconstruct timelines and organise witness information.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
To reconstruct Australia's Indigenous population before European settlement, the researchers brought together ethnographic observations, archaeological findings, genetic reconstructions, and computer models.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The same procedure can be applied to reconstruct Proto-Malayo-Polynesian, the ancestral language spoken by Austronesians after emigrating from Taiwan.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
In a recent study published in Nature Catalysis, researchers found that highly active structures can form in situ when the surface of NiO reconstructs during POM.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
In “The First Emancipation: The Forgotten History of Abolition in Revolutionary France,” Jeremy D. Popkin, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Kentucky, reconstructs the intricate political debates that preceded the 1794 law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
In three-and-a-half hours and for less than $10 million, Corbet reconstructs post-war America from the ground up, proving his sweeping artistic vision to be just as impressive as László Tóth’s.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2025
Besides Sabri, actors play Ghofrane and Rahma, the daughters who left, as Ben Hania reconstructs the family’s past in search for clues for their radicalization.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
It reconstructs the ideal type which nature has failed to carry out.
From A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.) by Mrs. Sutherland Orr
Scientists have previously reconstructed ancient solar cycles by studying radiocarbon preserved in tree rings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
To demonstrate the new microscope's capabilities, the researchers reconstructed images of two different proteins.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
The last time audiences saw Vision, the reconstructed synthezoid was flying off into the distance, and we didn’t know when we’d actually see him again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
The Nobel committee said the prize was awarded for “demonstrating how economic models could be reconstructed to revitalise stabilisation policy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The reconstructed language is full of words indicating a maritime economy, such as “outrigger canoe,” “sail,” “giant clam,” “octopus,” “fish trap,” and “sea turtle.”
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Ms. Margolles purchased a home in the middle of this and demolished it, here reconstructing the rubble into a rectangular minimalist monument that stretches across a large gallery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Even so, reconstructing their evolutionary history could reveal useful strategies for designing future treatments.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
By reconstructing two major eruptions from the volcano's past, the scientists found that magma followed very different routes and moved toward the surface at very different speeds.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
"They are reconstructing these sites under constant, constant air alarms. And they know that they are working at a site which is a target," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Isabel Wilkerson performed a different but equally arduous feat of reporting: reconstructing a life.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
