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 Job, a breakout Off–Off Broadway work that made it to Broadway, a tech employee confronted her therapist with a gun and demanded to be reinstated at her job, and then the twists ensued from there. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

Kelly will preside over an emergency hearing Wednesday to consider the media orgs’ request for a temporary restraining order to force the White House to reinstate their access. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

In the early years of Mormonism, polygamy was understood to reinstate the patriarchal and polygamous cultural norms of the Hebrew patriarchs, as depicted in the Hebrew Bible. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Council members Dante Anderson, Dimple Ajmera, Ed Driggs, Graham, Mayo, James Mitchell and Kimberly Owens voted to reinstate support for the project. — Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 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