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
Now, a team of scientists led by Hiren Solanki blended evidence from lake sediments, cave deposits, and other natural archives with high-tech climate models to reconstruct how water moved through the Indus basin around 3,000 years ago.
—Jay Kakade
december 15, New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025
The agency, Patel said, is working with local officials to investigate images and videos related to the incident, including by reconstructing the shooting scene.
—Eryn Dion, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025
Techniques such as masking can hide a streak, but the cosmic signal underneath cannot be reconstructed.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Traditionally, chemists use these mass fragments as puzzle pieces to reconstruct each molecular structure, but having tens of thousands of compounds in each sample presented a challenge.
—Amirali Aghazadeh, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reconstruct
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Jay Kakade
december 15, New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025
The agency, Patel said, is working with local officials to investigate images and videos related to the incident, including by reconstructing the shooting scene.
—Eryn Dion, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025
Techniques such as masking can hide a streak, but the cosmic signal underneath cannot be reconstructed.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Traditionally, chemists use these mass fragments as puzzle pieces to reconstruct each molecular structure, but having tens of thousands of compounds in each sample presented a challenge.
—Amirali Aghazadeh, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reconstruct
Cite this Entry
“Reconstruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconstruct. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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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