reset
Americanverb (used with object)
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resets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reset,
past participle, past
-
resetting
present participle
-
to set again.
to reset an alarm clock; to reset a broken bone.
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to set, adjust, or fix in a new or different way.
to reset priorities; to reset prices.
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to illegally set back the odometer on (an auto or other vehicle) to a lower reading.
a used-car dealer charged with resetting his cars.
verb (used without object)
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resets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reset,
past participle, past
-
resetting
present participle
noun
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resets
plural
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an act or instance of setting again.
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an act or instance of setting, adjusting, or fixing something in a new or different way.
A reset of relations between the two countries may be impossible. Company executives recognized the need for a reset in their business.
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something that is set again.
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a plant that is replanted.
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a device used in resetting an instrument or control mechanism.
verb
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to set again (a broken bone, matter in type, a gemstone, etc)
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to restore (a gauge, dial, etc) to zero
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Also: clear. to restore (the contents of a register or similar device) in a computer system to zero
noun
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the act or an instance of setting again
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a thing that is set again
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a plant that has been recently transplanted
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a device for resetting instruments, controls, etc
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resetsimple
-
resetssimple
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have resetperfect
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has resetperfect
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am resettingprogressive
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are resettingprogressive
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is resettingprogressive
-
have been resettingperfect progressive
-
has been resettingperfect progressive
Past
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resetsimple
-
had resetperfect
-
was resettingprogressive
-
were resettingprogressive
-
had been resettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reset
Explanation
When you reset something, you start it over again or adjust it. If you accidentally set your alarm to go off at 3:00 am, you'll have to sleepily reset it for 7:00 am. You may like to reset your car's odometer before starting a long trip, so you can keep track of your gas mileage. Or, you might tend to reset your alarm clock on the weekends, so it wakes you later. You can also reset many electronics by essentially making them go back to zero, or to a starting point: "I need to reset my cellphone to the original factory settings."
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.
See Examples For:
"That's what makes you visible, that's what puts you out there. So taking steps to reset all of that is so important," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Alongside falling gearing, this would contribute to BP’s financial reset and help rebuild investor confidence, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
"What's happening now with optics and photonics is there's kind of a reset," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
That ability to reset remains one of the major unanswered questions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
She tells us, in fits and starts, about the council’s plan to reset the experiments.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
By understanding how Spirostomum repeatedly triggers and resets its calcium-driven contraction system, researchers hope to uncover principles that could be adapted for synthetic devices.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The adaptation resets Sophocles’ tragedy to Aztec culture in a transposition that is both visually and musically enlivening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The trend has been driven by "cleanfluencers" – content creators who share cleaning routines, home organisation tips and everyday resets with their followers.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
It resets sentiment, lowers valuations and gives earnings time to catch up with prices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
We have—what—five weeks of normalcy, and then the whole world resets.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
To make matters worse, September is historically the weakest month of the year for stocks, with investors returning from summer often resetting their positions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Teen accounts would default to two hours of cumulative daily use across Meta's apps, resetting at midnight.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Other states, such as California, have laws discouraging selling by only resetting values for local real estate taxes when properties change hands.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general, Ellison is resetting expectations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Crappy mortgages worth three-quarters of a trillion dollars were resetting from their teaser rates to new, higher rates.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
