reinterpret

British  

/ ˌriːɪnˈtɜːprɪt /

verb

1. to interpret (an idea, etc) in a new or different way

---

Other Word Forms

• reinterpretation
  noun

Explanation

If you re-examined the meaning of something and found something new or different, you reinterpreted it. You thought that when Brian said, "I love you," he meant as a friend, but you may want to reinterpret the meaning of those words since he bought you a diamond ring. The verb reinterpret also means to re-explain or interpret from a different point of view. Each year, historians try to reinterpret the primary source material in historical cases. For example, in 1892, Lizzie Borden's father and step-mother were killed with an ax. Lizzie was acquitted. Did she commit the crime? Well, historians examine and reexamine the evidence and interpret it and reinterpret it. Some think she did it and some think she was innocent. We may never know.

Example Sentences

Mr. Millepied’s urge to reinterpret for contemporary audiences Prokofiev’s often heavy-going score, which the composer created under the thumb of Soviet censors, seems more than understandable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

And while there’s also a lot of personality emanating from the chrome hearts, no one onstage is trying to reinterpret the songs from outside their known, established frameworks.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2025

“I don’t understand why they’ve chosen this time to reinterpret this longstanding procedure,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024

A group of racially diverse artists invited to reinterpret a touring British Museum collection with links to slavery have raised issues around payment, representation and emotional support.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2024

Those taking their departure from Christianity have claimed rather to reinterpret and modernize it than to supplant it by their own creations.

From Modern Religious Cults and Movements by Atkins, Gaius Glenn