reentry

noun

re·​en·​try (ˌ)rē-ˈen-trē 

1

: a retaking possession

especially : entry by a lessor on leased premises on the tenant's failure to perform the conditions of the lease

2

: a second or new entry

3

: a playing card that will enable a player to regain the lead

4

: the action of reentering the earth's atmosphere after travel in space

Examples of reentry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Refining these predictive models will also improve safety for reentry vehicles and high-speed aircraft, ultimately minimizing or eliminating catastrophic water damage. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026

During reentry, strong shock waves form and heat up the surrounding atmosphere. — Sven Bilén, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

Three of those satellites also beamed back imagery of Starship’s heat shield, which must remain intact to ensure the spacecraft doesn’t break apart and burn up during reentry. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026

Starship is outfitted with about 20,000 hexagonal tiles, forming a heat shield, to prevent the vehicle from melting, but reentry is still a precarious process. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reentry

• wintry

Kids Definition

reentry

noun

re·​en·​try (ˈ)rē-ˈen-trē 

1

: a second or new entry

2

: the action of reentering the earth's atmosphere after travel in space

Medical Definition

reentry

noun

re·​en·​try (ˈ)rē-ˈen-trē 

plural reentries

: a cardiac mechanism that is held to explain certain abnormal heart actions (as tachycardia) and that involves the transmission of a wave of depolarization along an alternate pathway when the original pathway is blocked with return of the impulse along the blocked pathway when the alternate pathway is refractory and then transmission along the open pathway resulting in an abnormality

Legal Definition

reentry

noun

re·​en·​try ˌrē-ˈen-trē 

: a retaking possession of property by a lessor or grantor in exercise of the right to do so upon the failure of the lessee or grantee to fulfill a covenant or condition see also power of termination at power sense 2b