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Synonyms

reorganize

American  
[ree-awr-guh-nahyz] / riˈɔr gəˌnaɪz /
especially British, reorganise

verb (used with or without object)

reorganized, reorganizing
  1. to organize again.


reorganize British  
/ riːˈɔːɡəˌnaɪz /

verb

  1. to change the way (something) is organized

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • reorganizer noun
  • unreorganized adjective

Etymology

Origin of reorganize

First recorded in 1675–85; re- + organize

Explanation

When you change the way something is structured or arranged, you reorganize it. If you can never find two matching socks when you get dressed in the morning, you might want to reorganize your sock drawer. You might reorganize your stamp collection, sorting them by color instead of country. And a government may reorganize a country's entire economy, focusing on tourism instead of exporting oil, for example. Reorganize adds the "again" prefix re- to organize, a verb rooted in the Latin organum, "instrument or tool." Organize is related to organ, and its very earliest meaning was "arrange into a living being."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing reorganize

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.

He called an all-hands meeting for faculty and staff and said the school needed to reorganize and reduce staffing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

I tell this story as a word of caution, because it can be very tempting to treat spring cleaning as an opportunity to reorganize your kitchen entirely.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Intelligence, in this framework, depends on how effectively networks coordinate and reorganize themselves to handle different challenges.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

RAD is seeking to reorganize under the Chapter 11 U.S. bankruptcy process due to struggles raising money from investors.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

The defeat at Fallen Timbers was a severe blow to the Indigenous nations of the Ohio Country, but they would reorganize their resistance during the following decade.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz