reiterate

verb

re·​it·​er·​ate rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt How to pronounce reiterate (audio)
reiterated; reiterating

transitive verb

: to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect
reiterative
rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrā-tiv How to pronounce reiterate (audio)
-t(ə-)rə-tiv
adjective
reiteratively adverb

Did you know?

Can you guess the meaning of iterate, a less common relative of reiterate? It must mean simply "to state or do," right? Nope. Actually, iterate also means "to state or do again." It's no surprise, then, that some usage commentators have insisted that reiterate must always mean "to say or do again AND AGAIN." No such nice distinction exists in actual usage, however. Both reiterate and iterate can convey the idea of a single repetition or of many repetitions. Reiterate is the older of the two words—it first appeared in the 15th century, whereas iterate turned up in the 16th century. Both stem from the Latin verb iterare, which is itself from iterum ("again"), but reiterate took an extra step, through Latin reiterare ("to repeat").

Examples of reiterate in a Sentence

He iterates and reiterates that his lab likewise provided the French with many biological tools and samples, as well as significant technical guidance … Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review, 24 Mar. 1991
Easy victories bring little satisfaction; repeated failures encourage reiterated effort, to the moment of ultimate gratification or ultimate resignation. Peter Gay, Style in History, 1974
Judge Douglas has again, for, I believe, the fifth time, if not the seventh, in my presence, reiterated his charge of a conspiracy or combination between the National Democrats and Republicans. Abraham Lincoln, debate versus Stephen A. Douglas, 7 Oct. 1858
"And are you glad to see me?" asked she, reiterating her former question, and pleased to detect the faint dawn of a smile. Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
She avoided answering our questions directly, instead reiterating that the answers could be found in her book. Allow me to reiterate: if I am elected, I will not raise taxes.
Recent Examples on the Web But the mayor reiterated that downtown, including the neighborhood surrounding the arena, needs improvements regardless of whether the teams stay. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Now in its 11th year, the Hollywood Diversity Report, which covers the top English-language theatrical films of 2023, reiterated the importance of diverse audiences as the movie industry aims to bounce back from pandemic-era stressors and the impact of the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Ávila reiterated during her weekly press conference Wednesday in Tijuana that Morena made the decisions. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 In a new video campaign released on City of Miami Beach TV on Friday, the Florida city reiterated its plans to implement stricter rules for college students and tourists visiting Miami in March. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reiterated U.S. support for elections, inclusive governance and the restoration of democracy. Evens Sanon and Pierre-Richard Luxama, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 When pressed, Singerman reiterated—go for crypto or fintech (at a certain point, any other sector will do), but there isn’t such a thing as a contrarian investment in AI right now. Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 In a copy of his opening statement obtained by NPR, the younger Biden reiterated his long-standing statement that his father played no role in his business dealings. Ryan Lucas, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 Canales later reiterated Hubbard’s spot over Sanders entering the offseason. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reiterate.' 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

Middle English, from Latin reiteratus, past participle of reiterare to repeat, from re- + iterare to iterate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reiterate was in the 15th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near reiterate

Cite this Entry

“Reiterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reiterate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reiterate

verb
re·​it·​er·​ate rē-ˈit-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce reiterate (audio)
reiterated; reiterating
: to say or do over again or repeatedly
reiterative adjective
reiteratively adverb
reiterativeness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on reiterate

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