reinvent

American  

[ree-in-vent] / ˌri ɪnˈvɛnt /

verb (used with object)

• reinvents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reinvented,
  past participle,  past
• reinventing
  present participle

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 British  

/ 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

Derived Forms

• reinvention
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reinventing
  present
• reinvented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reinvent
  simple
• reinvents
  simple
• have reinvented
  perfect
• has reinvented
  perfect
• am reinventing
  progressive
• are reinventing
  progressive
• is reinventing
  progressive
• have been reinventing
  perfect progressive
• has been reinventing
  perfect progressive

Past

• reinvented
  simple
• had reinvented
  perfect
• was reinventing
  progressive
• were reinventing
  progressive
• had been reinventing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reinvent
  simple
• will have reinvented
  perfect
• will be reinventing
  progressive
• will have been reinventing
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of reinvent

First recorded in 1685–90; re- + invent

---

Explanation

To reinvent something is to completely change or remake it so thoroughly that it seems brand new. The driverless car is going to reinvent the way people think about driving. When the earliest movies with sound were released, it seemed to reinvent film. And, when libraries started incorporating more technology and getting rid of card catalogs, they reinvented research. You can also literally reinvent something, by bringing it back: "They plan to reinvent their grandmother's lost recipe for homemade root beer." To "reinvent the wheel" means to do something redundantly — to waste time on something that's already been done.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reinvent reinvents reinvented reinventing

His team is putting a lot on the shoulders of the comedian to reinvent late night and make it a lucrative business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Named as Bottega Veneta's creative director in 2021, he helped reinvent the Italian leather goods brand, earning him the nickname the "magician of Milan".

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

“Miami is an area in which Carnegie Mellon can reinvent not only what students learn, but how they learn,” said Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

In fact, perhaps the biggest issue for Wolverine is that it doesn't reinvent the wheel like Spider-Man did.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Not only did Inka infantrymen have to overcome their initial stupefaction, their leaders had to reinvent their military tactics while in the midst of an invasion.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

She’s unpredictable, and basically reinvents herself with each new record.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

When Guardiola reinvents his system, changes are made based on the players he has rather than a predetermined idea of what system he wants to play.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025

Holz: It is an execution story at this point, as the company kind of reinvents itself with a number of difficult-to-predict crosscurrents in the background.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2025

But perhaps his most powerful facet is that of a man who builds bridges, pushes others and constantly reinvents himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2025

While Venia reinvents my eyebrows and Octavia gives me fake nails and Flavius massages goo into my hair, I hear all about the Capitol.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Organisers said the streamlined format, which featured 10 sports across four locations in Glasgow, had "saved and reinvented" the competition after its future was placed in doubt when original hosts Victoria pulled out.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

He has since reinvented himself as a man of the people, melding a relaxed, folksy style with slick social media videos.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Jackson is a former social conservative who has reinvented himself into what he calls a “pickup-truck progressive.”

From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026

Each generation reinvented the farm without erasing its history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Some of his operas even reinvented Germany’s medieval past.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

He said Pokémon was "constantly reinventing" products, and was "really good at bringing people back in".

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

If the customer is looking for a large-scale transformation—like reinventing its finance group around AI—the Accenture pod starts by identifying which processes AI can actually reinvent and the order in which they should be tackled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Part of the beauty of that world is that it keeps reinventing itself. Every season being a new story takes on a different guise,” Coughlan said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Some are reinventing the distinctly American fare with international flavors, while others are elevating it—sometimes quite literally—to a fine-dining level, with prices to match.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

I realized that by reinventing culture, they were reinventing themselves.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• remake
• revive

---