Synonyms

reclaim

American

[ri-kleym] / rɪˈkleɪm /

verb (used with object)

to bring (uncultivated areas or wasteland) into a condition for cultivation or other use.
to recover (substances) in a pure or usable form from refuse, discarded articles, etc.

Synonyms:

restore, regain
to bring back to a preferable manner of living, sound principles, ideas, etc.
to tame.
re-claim.

verb (used without object)

to protest; object.

noun

reclamation.

beyond reclaim.

reclaim British

/ rɪˈkleɪm /

verb

to claim back

to reclaim baggage
to convert (desert, marsh, waste ground, etc) into land suitable for growing crops
to recover (useful substances) from waste products
to convert (someone) from sin, folly, vice, etc
falconry to render (a hawk or falcon) tame

"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

noun

the act of reclaiming or state of being reclaimed

"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

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 ; re-, claim

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.

If that key performance indicator isn’t reclaimed by Friday, it could signal a bigger pullback for the benchmark heading into the second quarter.

From Barron's

“Almost the exact amount of money that we’re trying to reclaim is what I need right now for this production order,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The sooner he got rid of Gingersnipes and reclaimed his position, the better.

From Literature

It also enables the spectrum to be deployed faster than if the FCC were to reclaim the spectrum.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now, as the war enters its second month, cryptocurrencies may be reclaiming their war haven status again.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023