rejigger

American  

[ree-jig-er] / riˈdʒɪg ər /

verb (used with object)

Informal.

1. to change or rearrange in a new or different way, especially by the use of techniques not always considered ethical.

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Etymology

Origin of rejigger

First recorded in 1940–45; re- + jigger ¹

Explanation

To rejigger is to organize or arrange something in a different way. As editor of the school yearbook, you might decide to rejigger the whole thing, scattering senior photos throughout instead of grouping them together at the end. This uniquely American verb can be used to mean "change" or "rearrange." When they rejigger your town library, it'll take you forever to find the science fiction section, and if you rejigger your bedroom, it may take a while to stop banging your shin on the table you moved to the foot of your bed. Rejigger comes from an obsolete verb form of jigger, "move up and down."

Example Sentences

Meeting hyperscalers’ need for speed is key, executives say, raising the stakes if changes in chip technologies force suppliers and builders to rejigger plans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Block has introduced artificial-intelligence tools for merchants, including ways to assess top menu items and rejigger store hours, and it’s been using AI within its own software development as well.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 6, 2025

If you came to it young, as many did and still do, it could rejigger your entire sense of humor.

From New York Times • May 16, 2023

Talks to rejigger the proposal are underway, the two people familiar with the matter said, expressing optimism they could find some solution soon.

From Washington Post • Jul. 13, 2022

Powerful poisons are used to rejigger body chemistry or to arrest the multiplication of disease bacteria or to suppress symptoms; if it is possible to sustain life without them, "bad," poorly-functioning organs are cut out.

From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Solomon, Steve