reconstruct
verb
re·con·struct
ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt 
reconstructed; reconstructing; reconstructs
1
: to construct again: such as
a
: to build or assemble (something) again
reconstruct a damaged chimney
b
medical
: to subject (an organ or part) to surgery to re-form its structure or correct a defect
an athlete with a surgically reconstructed shoulder
2
a
: to re-create or reimagine (something from the past) especially by using information acquired through research
reconstructing a lost civilization
The solution is to reconstruct the vocabularies of vanished ancient languages (so-called protolanguages) by comparing vocabularies of modern languages derived from them.—
Jared Diamond
Jared Diamond
b
: to create an accurate reenactment or understanding of (a past occurrence or event, such as an accident) by applying scientific principles and techniques to physical evidence
McDaniel hired the firm to reconstruct a fiery collision in Limestone County several years ago in which two young women were killed when their car was engulfed in flames.—John Peck
John PeckExamples of reconstruct in a Sentence
After the earthquake, many houses needed to be reconstructed.
Archaeologists were able to reconstruct most of the ancient village from their findings.
They are attempting to reconstruct the events that led to the bridge's collapse.
Recent Examples on the Web
Curated with Titanic historian Claes-Göran Wetterholm, the exhibition draws on decades of research into those who were on board and uses artifacts and historical records to reconstruct individual stories tied to the disaster.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 9 Mar. 2026
Americans sent to help reconstruct the country and build a functioning government were relentlessly attacked.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
By mining this archive and using supercomputers with custom programming to analyze the large data set, researchers reconstructed a 3D view of hydrogen distribution across a vast cosmic volume.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Software then reconstructed 200-plus terabytes of data generated into 3D volumes, with neural networks helping to automate the identification and analysis of anatomical structures.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reconstruct
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Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 9 Mar. 2026
Americans sent to help reconstruct the country and build a functioning government were relentlessly attacked.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
By mining this archive and using supercomputers with custom programming to analyze the large data set, researchers reconstructed a 3D view of hydrogen distribution across a vast cosmic volume.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Software then reconstructed 200-plus terabytes of data generated into 3D volumes, with neural networks helping to automate the identification and analysis of anatomical structures.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reconstruct
Cite this Entry
“Reconstruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconstruct. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reconstruct
verb
re·con·struct
ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt
Medical Definition
reconstruct
transitive verb
re·con·struct
ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt
: to subject (an organ or part) to surgery so as to re-form the structure of or to correct a defect
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