reconstruct

[ ree-kuhn-struhkt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to construct again; rebuild; make over:

   The church was burned in 1895, but reconstructed in 1897.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

reconstruct

/ ˌriːkənˈstrʌkt /

verb

1. to construct or form again; rebuild

   to reconstruct a Greek vase from fragments

2. 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

Derived Forms

• ˌreconˈstructible, adjective
• ˌreconˈstructor, noun
• ˌreconˈstructive, adjective
• ˌreconˈstruction, noun

Other Words From

• recon·structi·ble adjective
• recon·structor recon·structer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconstruct¹

First recorded in 1760–70; re- + construct

Example Sentences

There is, however, some interesting new research in reconstructing crashes, led by the Virginia Tech team.

From Outside Online

The mRNA vaccines in general, he said, are relatively easily reconstructed to battle new variants.

From Washington Post

The next step was to reconstruct the cell structure on a chip.

From Singularity Hub 

The Washington Post examined surveillance video, listened to emergency response radio channels and spoke to witnesses to reconstruct how the incident unfolded.

From Washington Post

Many sites of stellar wreckage still smolder as expanding clouds, and pinpointing their year or even day of origin can help astronomers reconstruct their history, Fields says.

From Popular-Science

We had to reconstruct proportions, re-create colors, and find materials drawing upon publicity photos of the time.

From The Daily Beast

French air crash investigators were able to reconstruct the final minutes in the cockpit of the Airbus A330.

From The Daily Beast

Half a century later, we can reconstruct from the abundant evidence what went on behind the scenes in the Kennedy White House.

From The Daily Beast

Christine Pelisek and Terry Greene Sterling reconstruct what we know so far.

From The Daily Beast

Bradley claims he lost his right eye and had to undergo numerous surgeries around his eye to reconstruct his face.

From The Daily Beast

A resolute push for quite a short period now might reconstruct the entire basis of our collective human life.

From Project Gutenberg

Others, more remarkable still, reconstruct as accurately as a mirror all that has vanished with the flight of time.

From Project Gutenberg

No nails or metal screws are employed, nothing but the hand is required to dismantle or reconstruct the case.

From Project Gutenberg

He went on to Boston, still struggling to reconstruct it all, striving to figure what connection it might have had, but in vain.

From Project Gutenberg

Even if my estimate of contemporary forces is wrong and they win, they will still be forced to reconstruct their outlook.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fix
• fix up
• modernize
• overhaul
• reassemble
• rebuild
• recreate
• reestablish
• regenerate
• rehabilitate
• rejuvenate
• remake
• remodel
• renovate
• repair
• reproduce
• restore
• revamp
• rework