reform
Americannoun
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reforms
plural
-
the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc..
social reform; spelling reform.
- Synonyms:
- amelioration, betterment, reformation, correction
- Antonyms:
- deterioration
-
an instance of this.
-
the amendment of conduct, belief, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
reforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reformed,
past participle, past
-
reforming
present participle
-
to change to a better state, form, etc.; improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc.
-
to cause (a person) to abandon wrong or evil ways of life or conduct.
-
to put an end to (abuses, disorders, etc.).
-
Chemistry. to subject to the process of reforming, as in refining petroleum.
verb (used without object)
-
reforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reformed,
past participle, past
-
reforming
present participle
adjective
verb
-
(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
-
a principle, campaign, or measure aimed at achieving such change
-
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
-
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
-
has been reformingperfect progressive
Past
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reformedsimple
-
had reformedperfect
-
was reformingprogressive
-
were reformingprogressive
-
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:
Translating political momentum into lasting economic reform will be a much harder task.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Mr. Fain won election in 2023 by fewer than 500 votes on a promise of reform, but his tenure has been marred by allegations of misconduct and financial mismanagement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
"Justice delayed is justice denied, and I am committed to maximising efficiencies in our system alongside record investment. I remain committed to structural reform which is crucial if we are to bring down the backlog."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Another thing about permitting reform: No one has ever discovered a way to make a joke involving the words permitting reform, and we’re not about to try.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
In addition to suffrage, Victoria Woodhull's political platform called for labor reform, nationalizing railroads, prison reform, and rewriting the tax code.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Some wealthy countries with cutting-edge tech companies remain in MSCI’s Emerging Markets Index because they haven’t made market reforms that the index provider would like to see.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
"Only Lula has the political clout and credibility to carry out reforms," Edinho Silva, president of Lula's Workers' Party, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Jane Doe should never have had to bear the burden of producing reforms.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
“We need reforms first before we take out the credit card and borrow money.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Their religious experience may have been turbulent and filled with controversies, reforms and revolutions.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
He declined to rejoin the band when it reformed in 2001.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Verstappen was unhurt and climbed out with no problems as the field reformed in the pits while the track was cleared.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
A week later, he voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, which reformed Medicaid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The band dissolved in 1997 but reformed in 2004.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The words scattered, then reformed, and the same word flashed.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
At present, hydrogen produced through methane-steam reforming costs about $1.50 per kilogram, while green hydrogen costs roughly $5 per kilogram.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
That conventional process, known as methane-steam reforming, releases carbon dioxide while producing hydrogen.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
The aim is to introduce more transparency to this practice as a prelude to reforming it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Nevertheless, advocates focused on reforming the state’s utilities sought this year to seize the moment to enact tough regulations, including forcing data centers to pay for transmission upgrades and wildfire mitigation efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Knowing that punishing Louie would only provoke his defiance, Louise took a surreptitious route toward reforming him.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
