1
: a retaking possession
especially : entry by a lessor on leased premises on the tenant's failure to perform the conditions of the lease
2
: a second or new entry
3
: a playing card that will enable a player to regain the lead
4
: the action of reentering the earth's atmosphere after travel in space

Examples of reentry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Along with paying the fines, the GEO Group agreed to draft plans for avoiding aerosol transmissions at 12 secure and reentry facilities in California, including five detention centers that hold immigrants. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 While addressing operational challenges, these closures will profoundly impact thousands of employees facing relocation or job loss, and nearly 4,000 inmates who will be transferred, disrupting family ties and reentry efforts. Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Leaving one zone and moving to another will require additional security screenings, and reentry may not be possible. Maria Sullivan, CBS News, 30 June 2026 According to Katalyst, the satellite has a 50% chance of making an uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026 without intervention, with those odds increasing to 90% by the end of 2026. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for reentry

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reentry was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reentry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reentry. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
: a second or new entry
2
: the action of reentering the earth's atmosphere after travel in space

Medical Definition

plural reentries
: a cardiac mechanism that is held to explain certain abnormal heart actions (as tachycardia) and that involves the transmission of a wave of depolarization along an alternate pathway when the original pathway is blocked with return of the impulse along the blocked pathway when the alternate pathway is refractory and then transmission along the open pathway resulting in an abnormality

Legal Definition

: a retaking possession of property by a lessor or grantor in exercise of the right to do so upon the failure of the lessee or grantee to fulfill a covenant or condition see also power of termination at power sense 2b

More from Merriam-Webster on reentry

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!