reformed; reforming; reforms
1
a
: to put or change into an improved form or condition
b
: to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses
2
: to put an end to (an evil) by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action
3
: to induce or cause to abandon evil ways
reform a drunkard
4
a
: to subject (hydrocarbons) to cracking
b
: to produce (gasoline, gas, etc.) by cracking
: to become changed for the better
1
: amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved
2
: removal or correction of errors or of an abuse or a wrong
3
capitalized
: reform judaism
1
: relating to or favoring reform
All of the great American reform movements—from civil rights to child-labor laws—started far from Washington, D.C. In state legislatures and town halls …—
William Greider
William Greider2
Reform
: of, relating to, or practicing Reform Judaism
Reform Jews, by the end of the nineteenth century, had adopted the custom of rising to their feet to pronounce the Shema in unison.—Jonathan D. Sarna
Jonathan D. Sarna
re-formed; re-forming; re-forms
: to form again
: to take form again
the ice re-formed on the lake
Synonyms
Examples of reform in a Sentence
Verb (1)
The program is designed to reform prisoners.
They want to reform campaign spending.
The laws need to be reformed.
The program is designed to help former gang members who are trying to reform.
Noun
A group of senators are calling for reform of the nation's health-care system.
He has proposed a list of political reforms.
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Recent Examples on the WebCaitlin Hu, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
These high-profile bills will reform a primary funding stream for behavioral health in California.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The cast is acted and animated with excellence, particularly Mara Junot as Sindel, reformed as a gentle sovereign, and Alan Lee, sneering as Shang Tsung.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
The commission asked universities to undergo a voluntary pause on program proposals until the approval process is reformed.
—Sabrina Leboeuf, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
The bill is meant to reform several provision of Medicare and Medicaid pricing for pharmaceutical products, exempting generic injectables from federal subsidy programs.
—Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2023
The university contracted with Segal, a national consulting firm with a history of completing similar work for universities, to help reform the structure.
—Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 31 Aug. 2023
Advertisement The governor’s plan, unveiled in March, seeks to reform California’s 20-year-old Mental Health Services Act.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
The popular event focuses on advocating and reforming marijuana laws at the local, state, and federal levels.
—Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2023
Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023
The council’s reform committee, which counts both Hernandez and Park as members, hasn’t yet decided how much the council should grow.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
The reform directions outlined by the white paper will guide current and future policy work, including the government's migration strategy and investing in the skills and tertiary education sectors.
—Fox News, 22 Sep. 2023
The creamy duo smooths down cuticles and reforms split ends with squalane — the very lipid that routine abuse strips away.
—Liana Schaffner, Allure, 21 Sep. 2023
Luxury trips and benefits given to Supreme Court justices like Clarence Thomas have been uncovered by journalists, and have led some to call for ethics reform within the U.S. government.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Sep. 2023
The meeting was expected to focus on regional security, trade, climate change, ongoing reforms to improve governance and other issues.
—Aamer Madhani and Seung Min Kim, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2023
From 2000 to 2011, several task forces successfully pressed for a series of reforms, including the creation of a state office to handle death penalty defense and indigent criminal appeals.
—Caleb Bedillion, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2023
Khartoum blocked an African Union plan for an inclusive process of political reform.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2023
Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2022
Three of the seven candidates in Iran’s presidential election dropped out days before the June 18 vote, leaving just one pro-reform contender and helping hardline frontrunner Ebrahim Raisi consolidate his support.
—Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2021
Farhad Meysami was released from prison on Friday, according to the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily.
—Jonny Hallam, CNN, 10 Feb. 2023
According to the Associated Press, Akbari served as deputy defense minister under President Mohammad Khatami — a pro-reform cleric who came to power in 1997 — until 2001.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Iran’s parliament and judiciary are reviewing the country’s mandatory hijab law, Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told a pro-reform outlet.
—Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 5 Dec. 2022
In a video obtained by CNN via the pro-reform activist outlet Iran Wire, two uniformed officers can be seen in what appears to be an attempt to arrest a protester.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 30 Oct. 2022
Sources inside the prison told pro-reform outlet IranWire that guards fired tear gas all night after the fire broke out.
—Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN, 17 Oct. 2022
Ken Goe For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
In the Bellingshausen Sea, the home of the penguin colonies in this study, sea ice didn’t start to re-form until late April 2023.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
The mass exodus on Pitch-Black Friday left a quartet of schools and one gigantic question behind: Will Stanford and Cal link arms with Oregon State and Washington State to re-form the Pac-12 through possible raids of the Mountain West and American conferences?
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2023
The water streaming down from the Sierra Nevada has inundated vast farmlands in the southern San Joaquin Valley, re-forming Tulare Lake, which according to state officials now covers more than 113,000 acres, an area nearly as large as Lake Tahoe.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
Added proteins help re-form the hair structure with temporary strength and elasticity, and amino acids and peptides help to add moisture and hydration to the hair.
—Jacqueline Saguin, goodhousekeeping.com, 26 May 2023
The Pop Group later re-formed in 2010 and put out two full-lengths.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2023
The group broke up originally in 1977 but re-formed on several occasions.
—Tim Page, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2023
Nothing settles; small groups form and re-form.
—Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Mar. 2023
See More
Verb
Speaking before world leaders in the United Nations Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Guterres called for sweeping changes to multilateral institutions, including reforming the powerful Security Council at the heart of the United Nations, and redesigning global financial systems.
—Caitlin Hu, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
These high-profile bills will reform a primary funding stream for behavioral health in California.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The cast is acted and animated with excellence, particularly Mara Junot as Sindel, reformed as a gentle sovereign, and Alan Lee, sneering as Shang Tsung.
—Gene Park, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
The commission asked universities to undergo a voluntary pause on program proposals until the approval process is reformed.
—Sabrina Leboeuf, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
The bill is meant to reform several provision of Medicare and Medicaid pricing for pharmaceutical products, exempting generic injectables from federal subsidy programs.
—Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2023
The university contracted with Segal, a national consulting firm with a history of completing similar work for universities, to help reform the structure.
—Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 31 Aug. 2023
Advertisement The governor’s plan, unveiled in March, seeks to reform California’s 20-year-old Mental Health Services Act.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
The popular event focuses on advocating and reforming marijuana laws at the local, state, and federal levels.
—Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2023
Noun
The spike in serious adverse incidents comes as patient safety experts are warning that hospitals across the nation could be experiencing a backslide in a decades-long effort to make hospitals safer through systemic reforms.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023
The council’s reform committee, which counts both Hernandez and Park as members, hasn’t yet decided how much the council should grow.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
The reform directions outlined by the white paper will guide current and future policy work, including the government's migration strategy and investing in the skills and tertiary education sectors.
—Fox News, 22 Sep. 2023
The creamy duo smooths down cuticles and reforms split ends with squalane — the very lipid that routine abuse strips away.
—Liana Schaffner, Allure, 21 Sep. 2023
Luxury trips and benefits given to Supreme Court justices like Clarence Thomas have been uncovered by journalists, and have led some to call for ethics reform within the U.S. government.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Sep. 2023
The meeting was expected to focus on regional security, trade, climate change, ongoing reforms to improve governance and other issues.
—Aamer Madhani and Seung Min Kim, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2023
From 2000 to 2011, several task forces successfully pressed for a series of reforms, including the creation of a state office to handle death penalty defense and indigent criminal appeals.
—Caleb Bedillion, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2023
Khartoum blocked an African Union plan for an inclusive process of political reform.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2023
Adjective
In a letter, 140 ophthalmologists raised concerns about a rising number of patients with severe eye injuries resulting from being shot with metal pellets and rubber bullets, according to pro-reform Iranian news site Sobhema and Iran International as well as other sites on social media.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2022
Three of the seven candidates in Iran’s presidential election dropped out days before the June 18 vote, leaving just one pro-reform contender and helping hardline frontrunner Ebrahim Raisi consolidate his support.
—Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2021
Farhad Meysami was released from prison on Friday, according to the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily.
—Jonny Hallam, CNN, 10 Feb. 2023
According to the Associated Press, Akbari served as deputy defense minister under President Mohammad Khatami — a pro-reform cleric who came to power in 1997 — until 2001.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Iran’s parliament and judiciary are reviewing the country’s mandatory hijab law, Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told a pro-reform outlet.
—Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 5 Dec. 2022
In a video obtained by CNN via the pro-reform activist outlet Iran Wire, two uniformed officers can be seen in what appears to be an attempt to arrest a protester.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 30 Oct. 2022
Sources inside the prison told pro-reform outlet IranWire that guards fired tear gas all night after the fire broke out.
—Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN, 17 Oct. 2022
Verb
Sixty-odd years ago, Oregon was part of another conference realignment when the Pacific Coast Conference — a precursor of the Pac-12 — dissolved and re-formed without Oregon or Oregon State.
—Ken Goe For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
In the Bellingshausen Sea, the home of the penguin colonies in this study, sea ice didn’t start to re-form until late April 2023.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
The mass exodus on Pitch-Black Friday left a quartet of schools and one gigantic question behind: Will Stanford and Cal link arms with Oregon State and Washington State to re-form the Pac-12 through possible raids of the Mountain West and American conferences?
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2023
The water streaming down from the Sierra Nevada has inundated vast farmlands in the southern San Joaquin Valley, re-forming Tulare Lake, which according to state officials now covers more than 113,000 acres, an area nearly as large as Lake Tahoe.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
Added proteins help re-form the hair structure with temporary strength and elasticity, and amino acids and peptides help to add moisture and hydration to the hair.
—Jacqueline Saguin, goodhousekeeping.com, 26 May 2023
The Pop Group later re-formed in 2010 and put out two full-lengths.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2023
The group broke up originally in 1977 but re-formed on several occasions.
—Tim Page, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2023
Nothing settles; small groups form and re-form.
—Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Mar. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reform.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Anglo-French refurmer, from Latin reformare, from re- + formare to form, from forma form
First Known Use
Verb (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of reform was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing reform
Articles Related to reform
Dictionary Entries Near reform
Cite this Entry
“Reform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reform. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
reform
1 of 3 verb
re·form
ri-ˈfȯ(ə)rm 
1
: to make better by removal of faults
reform a prisoner
2
: to correct or improve one's own behavior or habits
reform
2 of 3 noun1
: improvement in what is bad
2
: a removal or correction of an abuse, a wrong, or errors
re-form
3 of 3 verb(ˈ)rē-ˈfȯ(ə)rm
: to form again
the ice re-formed on the lake
Legal Definition
reform
transitive verb
re·form
ri-ˈfȯrm
1
: to put (a writing) into a corrected form that more accurately reflects the agreement of the parties
allows a writing signed by mistake to be reformed—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.
compare ratify
W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.2
: to induce or cause to abandon wrongful or harmful ways
a reformed drug dealer
: to become changed for the better
More from Merriam-Webster on reform
Nglish: Translation of reform for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of reform for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reform
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