reinstate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reinstate
Explanation
When you reinstate someone, you return that person to a position or job. A principal might reinstate a laid off teacher when the school starts hiring again. Bosses can reinstate employees, countries can reinstate kings and queens, and governments can reinstate, or bring back, old laws. For example, during times of war the United States could very well reinstate the draft, which is not currently a law but has been in the past. Although it's not as common as reinstate, the word instate, from which it comes, means "to put someone in a certain state or condition."
Vocabulary lists containing reinstate
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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The Unteachables
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This Week In Culture: August 8–14, 2020
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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.
The award was meant to reward Musk with shares if the Delaware court declined to reinstate Musk’s pay package.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
The department said it has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the execution protocol adopted during the first Trump administration, which relies on pentobarbital as the lethal agent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Concerns were also raised that there were no plans to reinstate the role.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
A judge recently sided with a legal challenge spearheaded by The New York Times and ordered the Pentagon to reinstate the passes of certain reporters.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
“It appears I shall have to reinstate Chiron as activities director. I suppose I do miss the old horse’s pinochle games.”
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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.
