rearrange

verb

re·​ar·​range ˌrē-ə-ˈrānj How to pronounce rearrange (audio)
rearranged; rearranging

transitive verb

: to arrange (something or someone) again in a different way
rearranged the flowers on the table
rearrange the furniture
I rearranged my hair/clothes/glasses.
… anagrams, which are words or phrases rearranged to form different words or phrases.Carolyn Phelan
… massaging his knees while he talks, frequently rearranging himself into a more comfortable position.Daniel Ross
Sarah is more or less grimacing now …. In a minute, she'll rearrange her face to look cheerful.Aurelie Sheehan
rearranging their lives … to go back to school, to get the education that was denied them or that they did not want when they were young.Ruth Dorgan
… thousands of people had to cancel or rearrange their travel plans.Ken Young

Examples of rearrange 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.
Or a smart calendar that rearranges itself after scanning a Slack thread and identifying a scheduling conflict. Boyan Wan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 Otherwise their collective tinkering around on the edges with cost cuts here and inventory changes there amount to little more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, the bank implied. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 July 2025 When the Sun's particles enter this funnel, the Earth's and the Sun's magnetic fields can come into contact with one another and rearrange themselves in a process scientists call magnetic reconnection. Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 21 July 2025 Lindgren sat down at a large table, rearranging the chunks in sand. Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for rearrange

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rearrange was in 1778

Cite this Entry

“Rearrange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rearrange. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

rearrange

verb
re·​ar·​range
ˌrē-ə-ˈrānj
: to arrange again usually in a different way
rearranged the furniture
rearrangement noun

More from Merriam-Webster on rearrange

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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