reconstruction

noun

re·con·struc·tion | \ ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-shən

Definition of reconstruction

1a : the action of reconstructing : the state of being reconstructed

b often capitalized : the reorganization and reestablishment of the seceded states in the Union after the American Civil War

2 : something reconstructed

Examples of reconstruction in a Sentence

the reconstruction of the dam the reconstruction of postwar Europe reconstruction of the health-care system They were able to determine the cause of the accident by careful reconstruction of the events leading up to it. The police staged a reconstruction of the crime.

Recent Examples on the Web

The department’s accident reconstruction team continues to investigate the crash. — Christine Dempsey, courant.com, "Police release details of deadly crash in Southington that killed a high school senior," 4 Sep. 2019 State Police sent a reconstruction team to the scene to further investigate, McGrath said. — Jordan Frias, BostonGlobe.com, "Man sustains serious injuries in motorcycle crash in Wrentham," 25 Aug. 2019 The Bureau of Prisons sent a team of prison psychologists, known as a suicide reconstruction team, to the jail on Tuesday, a Justice Department official said. — Michael Balsamo, The Denver Post, "2 guards suspended and warden reassigned after Epstein death," 13 Aug. 2019 The Bureau of Prisons sent a team of prison psychologists, known as a suicide reconstruction team, to the jail on Tuesday, a Justice Department official said. — Jim Mustian, chicagotribune.com, "2 guards suspended and warden reassigned as authorities investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s death," 13 Aug. 2019 At least two more diverging diamonds are planned in the Central Valley, and engineers are considering the design for the reconstruction of the Ashby Avenue interchange over busy Interstate 80 in Berkeley. — Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "Prepare to be perplexed: New diverging diamond interchanges coming to California," 19 July 2019 Porter County’s accident reconstruction team responded to the scene to assist with the investigation. — Amy Lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Coroner's office: Driver in crash that killed Hobart couple didn't apply brakes," 9 Apr. 2018 Boise Police detectives and the crash reconstruction team continue to investigate the crash. — Christina Lords, idahostatesman, "Boise teen dies after car crash on Idaho highway | Idaho Statesman," 2 Apr. 2018 El Salvador finished reconstruction of the seaport in 2012, but the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador said last year the country was looking for a concessionaire to run it. — Los Angeles Times, "In checkbook diplomacy duel, China pledges at least $8.6 billion to win over Taiwan’s allies," 16 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reconstruction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

14 Oct 2019

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The first known use of reconstruction was in 1594

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More Definitions for reconstruction

reconstruction

noun

English Language Learners Definition of reconstruction

: the act or process of building something that was damaged or destroyed again

: the process of putting something (such as a country) back into a good condition

: a process in which an event or series of events is carefully examined in order to find out or show exactly what happened

See the full definition for reconstruction in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reconstruction

noun

re·con·struc·tion | \ ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-shən

Medical Definition of reconstruction

: repair of an organ or part by reconstructive surgery breast reconstruction

reconstruction

noun

re·con·struc·tion

Legal Definition of reconstruction

1 : a rebuilding of a nonfunctional patented article that amounts to creation of a new article and constitutes infringement of the patent the complete replacement of the mechanism was a reconstruction and not a repair

2 : the practice or process of recreating an incident (as an accident) for the purpose of investigating the specific facts and circumstances surrounding it heard testimony on the speed of the vehicle from an expert in accident reconstruction