reattach

verb

re·​at·​tach (ˌ)rē-ə-ˈtach 

reattached; reattaching; reattaches

1

transitive : to attach (something) again

reattach the hoses

reattaching the retina to underlying tissue

2

intransitive : to become attached anew

The dentist will probably bond that tooth to the adjacent teeth for a number of weeks until it reattaches.

—The Explorer (Tucson, Arizona)

reattachment

(ˌ)rē-ə-ˈtach-mənt 

noun

plural reattachments

reattachment of a severed finger

reattachment surgery

Modern treatment for detached retina may include reattachment of the retina with a laser (like spot-welding) or freezing small areas (cryotherapy).

—Richard P. Holm

Examples of reattach in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unfortunately, Carr was distracted while trying to reattach the turnbuckle pad, allowing Becky just enough time to kickout. —Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

An avulsion is when the tendon that connects the lat muscle to the humerus is torn away from the bone, so surgery is done to reattach the tendon to the bone. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025

The surgeon who took on my case had to unroll the muscles and reattach them to the bones. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025

Surgeons reattach them but the treatment is gruesome and agonizing. —Victoria Kim, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reattach

• attach
• bycatch
• despatch
• detach
• dispatch
• mismatch
• nuthatch
• potlatch
• toothache
• bache
• batch
• brach

Medical Definition

reattach

intransitive verb

re·​at·​tach ˌrē-ə-ˈtach 

: to become attached anew

transitive verb

: to attach again

reattach a severed finger

reattachment

-mənt 

noun