reinvent

American  

[ree-in-vent] / ˌri ɪnˈvɛnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to invent again or anew, especially without knowing that the invention already exists.

2. to remake or make over, as in a different form.

   At 60, he reinvented himself as a volunteer. We have an opportunity to reinvent government.

3. to bring back; revive.

   to reinvent trust and accountability.

---

reinvent British  

/ ˌriːɪnˈvɛnt /

verb

1. to replace (a product, etc) with an entirely new version

2. to duplicate (something that already exists) in what is therefore a wasted effort (esp in the phrase reinvent the wheel )

---

Other Word Forms

• reinvention noun

Etymology

Origin of reinvent

First recorded in 1685–90; re- + invent

Example Sentences

When President Nixon closed the U.S. gold window in 1971, the IMF reinvented itself, as bureaucracies usually do.

From The Wall Street Journal

File this under “Folks who tried to reinvent themselves on reality TV after tanking in politics.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Paris is alive, Paris is green, Paris is proud, Paris stands in solidarity, Paris is working class, Paris is feminist. It reinvents itself each generation," he said.

From Barron's

“The stuff that I wear is for men, and I just reinvent it and reimagine it,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Paramount Chief David Ellison told investors the Warner Bros. takeover “is not about consolidation -- it’s about reinventing the business.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• remake
• revive