reform
Americannoun
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the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc..
social reform; spelling reform.
- Synonyms:
- amelioration, betterment, reformation, correction
- Antonyms:
- deterioration
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an instance of this.
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the amendment of conduct, belief, etc.
verb (used with object)
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to change to a better state, form, etc.; improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc.
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to cause (a person) to abandon wrong or evil ways of life or conduct.
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to put an end to (abuses, disorders, etc.).
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Chemistry. to subject to the process of reforming, as in refining petroleum.
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
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(tr) to improve (an existing institution, law, practice, etc) by alteration or correction of abuses
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to give up or cause to give up a reprehensible habit or immoral way of life
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chem to change the molecular structure of (a hydrocarbon) to make it suitable for use as petrol by heat, pressure, and the action of catalysts
noun
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an improvement or change for the better, esp as a result of correction of legal or political abuses or malpractices
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a principle, campaign, or measure aimed at achieving such change
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improvement of morals or behaviour, esp by giving up some vice
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reformabilitynoun
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reformablenessnoun
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reformativenessnoun
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reformernoun
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self-reformnoun
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superreformnoun
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misreformverb
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antireformadjective
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prereformadjective
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proreformadjective
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reformableadjective
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reformativeadjective
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unreformableadjective
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unreformativeadjective
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reformativelyadverb
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reforminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reformsimple
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reformssimple
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have reformedperfect
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has reformedperfect
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am reformingprogressive
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are reformingprogressive
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is reformingprogressive
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have been reformingperfect progressive
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has been reformingperfect progressive
Past
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reformedsimple
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had reformedperfect
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was reformingprogressive
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were reformingprogressive
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had been reformingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reform
First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English reformen, from Middle French reformer, Old French, from Latin refōrmāre; equivalent to re- + form; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
When you reform something, you change it for the better. If you're running for President, you might promise to reform government, although it's easier to promise reform than to actually accomplish it. If you take the parts of reform, re- and form, you can see that it means “to shape again.” We often use it to talk about correcting what's wrong in a system, and if you reform something, you make it better and more fair. Juvenile delinquents might be sent to reform school to become better people. Someone fighting alcoholism might try to reform her ways. It's not always about morals: in chemistry, you reform molecules by breaking them apart.
Vocabulary lists containing reform
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Shape Up: Form
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The Middle East and Central Asia - 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.
See Examples For:
With reform off the table, ramping up exports is its default.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The rates of income tax - for example, the basic rate of 20% on income from £12,571 to £50,270 - will not change as a result of the reform.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
To remedy these ills, the court needs top-to-bottom reform.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
Mazariegos has in recent months appeared at City Hall to advocate for charter reform, including increasing police accountability, expanding the size of the City Council and advocating for noncitizen voting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
While Susan B. Anthony was becoming energized to begin working for women’s rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton had less time for reform work as her family demands increased.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Japan is particularly compelling, Salata said, as shareholder reforms there are spurring local companies to partner with private equity and activist funds to streamline their operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Genuine reforms remain off the table as a fix for stagnating growth, which means exports are the default.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It says Burnham is sounding "calls for consensus" on "social care crisis", inviting "Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey to discuss how to drive urgent reforms".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Despite the setbacks, Modi dominates national politics, and his government has sought to get ahead of the crisis, pledging legal reforms and swift punishment for those involved in exam paper leaks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
It called on reforms in education, employment, property rights, religion, and, most notably, suffrage.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
A week later, he voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, which reformed Medicaid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Even some Canadian economists and pundits have called for it to be dismantled or reformed.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The band dissolved in 1997 but reformed in 2004.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The national commission, originally created by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was reformed under President Richard Nixon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Laika has not reformed from the corpse-addicted dog she has always been.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
Andy Burnham has invited the leaders of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats for talks on reforming social care in England.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
When I was reforming public schools I sat in them every week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"One way of reforming this rigid system is to start with our own families," said Norlina Rambu Jola Kalunga, 54, a noblewoman who inherited five atas when she married the son of a royal family.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In 2002, Congress created the Election Assistance Commission to administer the Help America Vote Act, which assists states in reforming their elections.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
The blue troops seemed to be pulling back that way, retreating, reforming.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
