reclaim

American  

[ri-kleym] / rɪˈkleɪm /

verb (used with object)

1. to bring (uncultivated areas or wasteland) into a condition for cultivation or other use.

2. to recover (substances) in a pure or usable form from refuse, discarded articles, etc.

   Synonyms:

   restore, regain

3. to bring back to a preferable manner of living, sound principles, ideas, etc.

4. to tame.

5. re-claim.

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verb (used without object)

1. to protest; object.

noun

1. reclamation.

   beyond reclaim.

reclaim British  

/ rɪˈkleɪm /

verb

1. to claim back

   to reclaim baggage

2. to convert (desert, marsh, waste ground, etc) into land suitable for growing crops

3. to recover (useful substances) from waste products

4. to convert (someone) from sin, folly, vice, etc

5. falconry to render (a hawk or falcon) tame

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noun

1. the act of reclaiming or state of being reclaimed

Related Words

See recover.

Other Word Forms

• nonreclaimable adjective
• reclaimable adjective
• reclaimant noun
• reclaimer noun
• unreclaimable adjective

Etymology

Origin of reclaim

First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English recla(i)men, from Old French reclamer (tonic stem reclaim- ), from Latin reclāmāre “to cry out against,” equivalent to re- + clāmāre “to claim”; (noun) Middle English reclaim(e), from Old French reclaim, reclam, derivative of reclamer ; see re-, claim

Explanation

To reclaim something is to get it back. If a divorced couple remarries, they reclaim their marriage. To claim is to declare or take ownership of something. To reclaim is to retake something lost. An injured quarterback must reclaim the starting position from his replacement. Two countries fighting over territory may lose and reclaim an area of land. A bank can reclaim a house if you don't make mortgage payments. Reclaim comes from the Old French reclamer, "to call back," which is rooted in the Latin word reclamare, "cry out against, or appeal."

Example Sentences

More clear-eyed now, Jean must reject her martyrdom and reclaim her own truth and agency.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Bulls will want to see this reclaim the break above a $45.59 cup base pivot taken out the last week of January that gained more than 20%.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

SuEllen Sanchez and her sister, Keilah Sanchez, were among those who shared their stories with investigators, expecting the government would help them reclaim what they lost.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Intel has a lot to prove as it looks to reclaim leadership in chip manufacturing, and its latest move is perhaps a sign that it’s heading in the right direction.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Fortinbras was no light threat, I knew, for his mission was to reclaim lands that his father had lost to King Hamlet in battle.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• convert
• recover
• rescue
• restore
• salvage