reconquest
noun
re·con·quest
(ˌ)rē-ˈkän-ˌkwest 
-ˈkäŋ-;
-ˈkäŋ-kwəst
plural reconquests
: a second or new conquest of something previously conquered
especially
: recovery of something by conquest
When he came in sight of Mexico City his heart quickened, for here he was to meet his hero, the general, and learn from him when the reconquest and punishment of Tejas was to begin. —
James A. Michener
James A. Michener Do we pull U.S. troops out of Syria as Trump promised, or keep U.S. troops there to resist the reconquest of his country by Bashar Assad and his Russian, Iranian, Hezbollah and Shiite allies? —Patrick J. Buchanan
Patrick J. Buchanan Examples of reconquest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The symbolism was impossible to ignore: The Syrian regime’s brutal reconquest of that very city in 2016 had demonstrated Russia’s military effectiveness.
—Nicole Grajewski, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2024
The allegation that America would renege on its 75-year commitment to NATO and leave the largely Catholic Baltics, Poland and western Ukraine open to Russian reconquest holds little value for Trump’s evangelical and Likudnik supporters.
—Caise D. Hassan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024
In other words, territorial conquest—or reconquest—is not in itself a form of war termination.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023
For its part, the Azerbaijani side showed little interest in substantial negotiations and built up its own revanchist project for reconquest of its territories.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2023
By contrast, the near rout of Russian soldiers in the Kharkiv region on September 10—and the rapid reconquest by Ukrainian forces of territory spanning some 2,000 square miles in the east and south—clearly showed that Ukraine was on top and that Russian
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2022
Beattie gushes about the results of the program in Florida so far, citing an unsigned piece in Revolver News, a right-wing outlet, that compares the right-wing reconquest of Florida’s university system with Napoleon’s lightning victory over the Austrians in 1805.
—Katherine Stewart, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2023
In the wake of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban’s swift reconquest of the country, and the chaotic, bloody exodus that has followed, U.S. officials have lamented that the Afghans failed to put up a fight.
—Sarah Chayes, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2021
Rather than setting the stage for a difficult intra-Afghan compromise, then, the deal implicitly appears to anticipate the endgame the insurgents themselves have consistently articulated since 2001: a Taliban reconquest of the country.
—David Petraeus, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2020
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Nicole Grajewski, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2024
The allegation that America would renege on its 75-year commitment to NATO and leave the largely Catholic Baltics, Poland and western Ukraine open to Russian reconquest holds little value for Trump’s evangelical and Likudnik supporters.
—Caise D. Hassan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024
In other words, territorial conquest—or reconquest—is not in itself a form of war termination.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023
For its part, the Azerbaijani side showed little interest in substantial negotiations and built up its own revanchist project for reconquest of its territories.
—Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2023
By contrast, the near rout of Russian soldiers in the Kharkiv region on September 10—and the rapid reconquest by Ukrainian forces of territory spanning some 2,000 square miles in the east and south—clearly showed that Ukraine was on top and that Russian
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2022
Beattie gushes about the results of the program in Florida so far, citing an unsigned piece in Revolver News, a right-wing outlet, that compares the right-wing reconquest of Florida’s university system with Napoleon’s lightning victory over the Austrians in 1805.
—Katherine Stewart, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2023
In the wake of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban’s swift reconquest of the country, and the chaotic, bloody exodus that has followed, U.S. officials have lamented that the Afghans failed to put up a fight.
—Sarah Chayes, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2021
Rather than setting the stage for a difficult intra-Afghan compromise, then, the deal implicitly appears to anticipate the endgame the insurgents themselves have consistently articulated since 2001: a Taliban reconquest of the country.
—David Petraeus, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Reconquest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconquest. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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