reconstruct

verb

re·​con·​struct ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt 

reconstructed; reconstructing; reconstructs

transitive verb

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

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

reconstructible

ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-tə-bəl 

adjective

reconstructive

ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-tiv 

adjective

reconstructor

ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-tər 

noun

Examples 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

Anthropic’s biology research team used Claude throughout the investigation, from identifying promising proteins to reconstructing their molecular architecture. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026

From his emergence in the mid-1950s until his passing in 2018, Taylor not only disassembled jazz and reconstructed it in his own style, but also found ways to make the world listen. — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026

Melick brought the students to see the remains of the barber shop while Arnold-Nowark reconstructed what is now the Legacy Building. — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Does limited roster turnover the season following a championship give a team a leg up over others that were reconstructed year over year? — Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reconstruct

• aqueduct
• deconstruct
• abduct
• conduct
• construct
• deduct
• destruct
• induct
• instruct
• obstruct
• bucked
• chucked

Kids Definition

reconstruct

verb

re·​con·​struct ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt 

: to construct again : rebuild, remodel

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