rethink
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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rethinks,
present (3rd person singular)
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rethought,
past participle, past
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rethinking
present participle
noun
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rethinks
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rethinksimple
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rethinkssimple
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have rethoughtperfect
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has rethoughtperfect
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am rethinkingprogressive
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are rethinkingprogressive
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is rethinkingprogressive
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have been rethinkingperfect progressive
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has been rethinkingperfect progressive
Past
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rethoughtsimple
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had rethoughtperfect
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was rethinkingprogressive
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were rethinkingprogressive
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had been rethinkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rethink
Explanation
When you rethink, you consider something again, often reaching the opposite conclusion. You'll rethink your decision to go bungee jumping as soon as you're standing at the top of a tall bridge getting ready to jump. You'll have to rethink your usual two A.M. bedtime after you get a new job making donuts at five every morning. A kindergarten teacher might also need to rethink his laid-back teaching style when he's faced with an especially high-energy class. You can also use rethink as a noun: "I need to have a quick rethink about what I'll have for lunch, since the cafeteria is out of French fries."
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:
Now as more Americans rethink the value of college, the idea of bypassing a degree is gaining luster among a new set of founders, our colleagues Chip Cutter and Allison Pohle report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
With extreme weather events becoming increasingly frequent as a result of climate change, the Netherlands will have to rethink a strategy that has until now been "waterproof."
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
But his excellent end-of-season resurgence, in his natural position of centre midfield, may have sparked a rethink over his status during this transfer window.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
"If congenital transmission can occur in non-venereal treponematoses, then we need to rethink how we interpret skeletal evidence in the past," Dr. Vlok explained.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I like the way you show your work, but I would rethink problem number twelve if I were you.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
AI adoption has, at times, also shown signs of running up against roadblocks, as OpenAI reportedly rethinks the way it works with retailers following hiccups in bot-assisted checkout features.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
With his business in shambles, Randy rethinks his strategy with the help of an over-complimentary AI chatbot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025
We applied those lessons to this recipe from our book “The New Rules,” which rethinks familiar dishes to change the way you cook.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 5, 2023
FedEx is ripping up founder Fred Smith’s well-worn playbook as it rethinks virtually the entire business.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2023
What his tribe speaks he repeats; but he does not simply echo their words, he rethinks them.
From A Grammar of Freethought by Chapman Cohen
Just as nations dramatically rethought energy policy after the oil crises of the 1970s, a disruption of this scale will force governments around the world to rethink energy strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
At some point, agents will outnumber people by a lot, and security practices built around humans will have to be rethought.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
At the same time, Lloyd Webber has rethought his business model.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
“This is TV rethought for a new generation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2024
The radical design makes it clear that Wright had completely rethought the purpose of an art museum.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
But in recent weeks executives at both Wendy’s and McDonald’s said that they were rethinking how they approach deals, after disappointing results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The striking features of Sanxingdui’s humanoid figures—so “un-Chinese” in their appearance—have prompted a wholesale rethinking of what historians thought they knew about the origins of Chinese civilization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Washington is rethinking the wisdom of its large military footprint in the Persian Gulf emirate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
As antibiotic resistance grows around the world, the findings show that important medical advances may come from rethinking the chemistry of drugs that already exist.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Maybe you can start by rethinking what you mean by normal. Between you and me, I think normal is pretty overrated anyway.”
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
