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

Under the order, the administration hopes to boost rocket launches and reentries to more than 1,000 per year by 2030. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2026

For clarity, each Trident missile can carry multiple W76/Mk4-family reentry bodies, which separate from the missile after its powered flight. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026

The mission to save NASA’s sinking Swift Observatory has been called off, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026

The rocket planes tested reaction-control systems for maneuvering where the air was too thin for normal aerodynamic controls, while gathering data on heating, stability, structural loads, human performance and piloting techniques during reentry. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 22 Aug. 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