reinterpret
Britishverb
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The goal is not merely to reinterpret Rosa Parks.
From Salon ● May 20, 2026
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
Hand-crafted from a range of materials, including ceramic and pistachio shells, the teapots reinterpret a classic household item with an “Alice in Wonderland” charm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2025
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
Some evolutionary scientists will be dogmatic at times, but they return to their laboratories and proceed to reinterpret what they have assumed, so that their dogmatism is of short duration.
From History of Human Society by Blackmar, Frank W. (Frank Wilson)
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.
