reinvent
Americanverb (used with object)
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to invent again or anew, especially without knowing that the invention already exists.
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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.
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to bring back; revive.
to reinvent trust and accountability.
verb
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to replace (a product, etc) with an entirely new version
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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
Etymology
Origin of reinvent
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.
Vocabulary lists containing reinvent
Words for a New Year
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Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 5
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The Wrong Way Home
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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.
“One hundred percent of the world’s PC industry has joined us to reinvent the PC,” Huang said in his speech.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
“And we didn’t have that time. So we had to reinvent the manner that we were going to do it.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Brittin said the BBC had "proved throughout its history how quickly it can reinvent itself to serve the needs of audiences".
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
“I’m immensely proud of the hard work to reinvent the public transportation of Los Angeles.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
In many ways, I loved him the most of all; and it is with him that I am most tempted to embroider, to flatter, to basically reinvent.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
