readjust

verb

re·​ad·​just ˌrē-ə-ˈjəst 

readjusted; readjusting; readjusts

transitive + intransitive

: to adjust (something or oneself) again

On three samples we bought, the running belt wouldn't maintain the proper tension, so we had to readjust it every few hours …

—Consumer Reports

… got lower cost-of-living increases after Congress readjusted Social Security benefits in 1977.

—Margot Hornblower

She straightened her scarlet hat and readjusted her veil unsteadily.

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

… a young man may be excused for feeling a little dizzy when he is called upon suddenly and without any warning to readjust all his preconceived views on any subject.

—P. G. Wodehouse

Postparental couples … must readjust their whole way of life and their relationship to each other after the children leave home.

—M. Riley and J. Waring

He stared about the room, collecting his thoughts, readjusting himself for the day's work.

—Frank Norris

… readjusting to life after losing his job as an advertising suit in the UK.

—Amanda Ducker

"Once you have developed singing skills as a child, they tend to stay with you, particularly for girls," [Graham] Welch says. Unlike boys, girls don't have to readjust to a dramatically lower voice during adolescence.

—Bruce Bower

Examples of readjust in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Igor Thiago got his feet mixed up and had to readjust. —Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025

The day after returning to Earth, Shukla met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, where Shukla described the challenges of readjusting to Earth's gravity after microgravity, among other topics. —Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Atlas responds to unexpected challenges mid-task, like adjusting when a box lid is closed or repositioning items on the fly – and can readjust itself. —Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Start by readjusting the shared expectation. —R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1678, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for readjust

• antitrust
• overthrust
• unitrust
• wanderlust
• adjust
• combust
• discussed
• disgust
• distrust
• entrust
• intrust
• mistrust

Medical Definition

readjust

intransitive verb

re·​ad·​just ˌrē-ə-ˈjəst 

: to become adjusted or undergo adjustment again

readjustment

-ˈjəs(t)-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

readjust

transitive verb

re·​ad·​just

ˌrē-ə-ˈjəst

: to adjust again

especially : to voluntarily reorganize (a corporation)

intransitive verb

: to become readjusted

readjustment noun