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.

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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 )

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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

Andrea, a 32-year-old mother who declined to give her surname because she felt ashamed of her predicament, tried to reinvent herself by starting a catering business after the stationary shop where she worked shut down.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

All book adaptations, whether from novels or memoirs, could stand to embellish the facts here and there, or go ahead and reinvent the wheel when possible.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

The European champions haven't tried to reinvent the wheel with this kit, but it oozes class.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Hedge fund Situational Awareness invested a fresh $400 million this week in Source Foundry, a private startup aiming to reinvent chip manufacturing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

And yet it had not been possible to reinvent himself fully, to break from that mismatched name.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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

Garcia takes Mexican standards including tacos, carnitas and sopes and reinvents them with local produce as well as flavors from other cultures, such as pesto, pate sucrée and hazelnuts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2024

From Mark Twain to John Steinbeck, every generation reinvents the King Arthur legend for itself.

From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2024

By imitating del Verrocchio, by immersing himself in the busy life of the workshop, Leonardo learns how to paint—and then reinvents how to paint.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

He’s someone who’s reinvented himself over and over and over again — done records that are very different than the record before.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

We reinvented our media model, focusing more on social content and more frequent, creative and higher-quality creatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

As Sherland, he reinvented himself as a poet and, in 2020, he became president of the Robert Burns World Federation.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026

Here Moushumi had reinvented herself, without misgivings, without guilt.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

“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

"It isn't about saving something to preserve it. It is about reinventing something to give it the purpose and vision it needs to last," he added.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

I generally prefer, as a strategic matter, an elevation of shared values—inclusive, connective, moral language such as reclaiming, rather than reinventing or discarding.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

“Lehigh Acres is now reinventing itself,” Welch said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

I had been so busy sitting there moping and feeling lonely that I’d nearly forgotten my commitment—well, plan, at least—to try reinventing myself this year, to not be such an outcast.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

Related Words

• remake
• revive