reform
the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc.: social reform; spelling reform.
an instance of this.
the amendment of conduct, belief, etc.
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.
to abandon evil conduct or error: The drunkard promised to reform.
(initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Reform Jews or Reform Judaism: a Reform rabbi.
Origin of reform
1Other words for reform
Opposites for reform
Other words from reform
- re·form·a·ble, adjective
- re·form·a·bil·i·ty, re·form·a·ble·ness, noun
- re·form·a·tive, adjective
- re·form·a·tive·ly, adverb
- re·form·a·tive·ness, noun
- re·form·ing·ly, adverb
- an·ti·re·form, adjective
- mis·re·form, verb
- pre·re·form, adjective
- pro·re·form, adjective
- self-re·form, noun
- su·per·re·form, noun, verb (used with object)
- un·re·form·a·ble, adjective
- un·re·form·a·tive, adjective
Words that may be confused with reform
- re-form, reform
Words Nearby reform
Other definitions for re-form (2 of 2)
to form again.
Origin of re-form
2Other words from re-form
- re-for·ma·tion, noun
- re-former, noun
Words that may be confused with re-form
- re-form , reform
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use reform in a sentence
Some lawmakers, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, have suggested that the way forward on police reform is to help improve relations between the community and police by increasing the number of positive interactions between the two groups.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained | Fabiola Cineas | September 17, 2020 | VoxSetting far more fires will require sweeping regulatory reforms to streamline the approvals process.
Suppressing fires has failed. Here’s what California needs to do instead. | James Temple | September 17, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewSan Diego County also threw its support Tuesday behind a November ballot measure that asks Californians to undo several criminal justice reforms passed by voters over the last decade.
Morning Report: The Dreaded Purple Tier | Voice of San Diego | September 16, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoIt’s part of American tradition, but we need to get to a suite of solutions to deal with police reform.
He said he spoke out about it to ProPublica because he opposes Medicare-for-all health care reform proposals.
A Doctor Went to His Own Employer for a COVID-19 Antibody Test. It Cost $10,984. | by Marshall Allen | September 5, 2020 | ProPublica
But failing that, he advised pro-immigration reform Republican candidates such as former Gov. Jeb Bush to just skip the state.
Can This Republican Bring the GOP Back to Its Senses on Immigration? | Tim Mak | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere, many minority parents supported Tom Torklarson, who favored the education reform agenda.
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats | Daniel DiSalvo | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was a Republican Congress working with a Democratic president that succeeded in passing the welfare reform bill the first time.
To GOP Congress, as Usual, It’s Welfare on the Chopping Block | Monica Potts | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSometimes politicians oppose reform for nefarious reasons—to protect a special interest or a major donor, for example.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball? | Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSorkin may not have won his fight, ostensibly to reform the news.
'The Newsroom' Ended As It Began: Weird, Controversial, and Noble | Kevin Fallon | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe would impeach all his partners, acknowledge his errors, and promise once more to reform.
We may apply to it with advantage the spectacles of social reform, but what the socialist offers us is total blindness.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockIn its essential nature socialism is nothing but a proposal for certain kinds of economic reform.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockOne naturally asks, then, To what extent can social reform penetrate into the ordinary operation of industry itself?
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockThe shortening of the general hours of work, then, should be among the primary aims of social reform.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
British Dictionary definitions for reform (1 of 2)
/ (rɪˈfɔːm) /
(tr) to improve (an existing institution, law, practice, etc) by alteration or correction of abuses
to give up or cause to give up a reprehensible habit or immoral way of life
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
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
Origin of reform
1Derived forms of reform
- reformable, adjective
- reformative, adjective
- reformer, noun
British Dictionary definitions for re-form (2 of 2)
/ (riːˈfɔːm) /
to form anew
Derived forms of re-form
- re-formation, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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