reinstate

verb

re·​in·​state ˌrē-ən-ˈstāt 

reinstated; reinstating

transitive verb

1

: to place again (as in possession or in a former position)

2

: to restore to a previous effective state

reinstatement

ˌrē-ən-ˈstāt-mənt 

noun

Examples of reinstate in a Sentence

After his name was cleared, he was reinstated as committee chairperson.

The school board voted to reinstate the school's uniform policy.

the year the death penalty was reinstated

Recent Examples on the Web

In a letter to university leadership, two Republican lawmakers urged the UC system to move quickly to reinstate the use of SAT and ACT scores in undergraduate admissions. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Shopify's 2023 experiment banning every recurring meeting company-wide, reinstating only the ones teams deliberately chose to bring back. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

After an emergency meeting that night, the league reinstated a maximum weight of 205 pounds, sidelining Farkas' son, who weighed 215 pounds. — Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

With just over a month left before regional officials decide whether-or-not to reinstate support for the Interstate 77 South toll lane project, several municipalities are staking out their positions. — Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reinstate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

reinstate

verb

re·​in·​state ˌrē-ən-ˈstāt 

reinstated; reinstating

: to place again in a former position or condition

reinstate an official

reinstatement

-mənt 

noun