reinvent

[ree-in-vent]

verb (used with object)

1. to invent again or anew, especially without knowing that the invention already exists.

2. to remake or make over, as in a different form.

   At 60, he reinvented himself as a volunteer. We have an opportunity to reinvent government.

3. to bring back; revive.

   to reinvent trust and accountability.

reinvent

/ ˌriːɪnˈvɛnt /

verb

1. to replace (a product, etc) with an entirely new version

2. to duplicate (something that already exists) in what is therefore a wasted effort (esp in the phrase reinvent the wheel )

Other Word Forms

• reinvention noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reinvent¹

First recorded in 1685–90; re- + invent

Example Sentences

TalkTV broadcaster Mark Dolan noted how the man known as the "piranha of the airwaves" had "reinvented the phone-in format in the UK - with stunning success".

Read more on BBC

Twenty-four paintings spanned the working life of the “bad boy” who died at age 38 in 1610, after reinventing conceptions of what a painting could be.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It will be a professional contest between one of Britain's most decorated heavyweights and a former Disney Channel actor who has reinvented himself as a pay-per-view attraction.

Read more on BBC

Only 44 years old, McCullum has set out to reinvent every aspect of the team.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But Rocket will almost certainly have to reinvent its popular tools—and sooner or later an AI native competitor almost certainly challenge it the same way Rocket once challenged traditional lenders.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• remake 
• revive