Definition of REITERATED

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 around 1533. 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 Representatives from the mayor's, sheriff's, prosecutor and clerk's offices — all held by Democrats — reiterated support for the city's current efforts and declined to back the Republican proposal. — Ryan Martin, Indianapolis Star, "'It certainly will not be solved by politics': Quadruple homicide spurs political tensions," 6 Feb. 2020 The Department of Tourism reiterates that the rest of the country remains safe and accessible. — National Geographic, "Traveling to the Philippines? What to know about the volcano," 16 Jan. 2020 In October, after a lower-level meeting between the two sides ended in acrimony, North Korea reiterated the threat. — The Economist, "Disarmament talks between America and North Korea are in jeopardy," 18 Dec. 2019 All the more reason to reiterate its tremendous value, and to shore up those features that have proven vulnerable. — David Means, Harper's magazine, "Letters," 25 Nov. 2019 And at a California Democratic Party Convention in Long Beach this past weekend, Booker reiterated that Democrats need to concentrate on winning back the White House instead of infighting. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: What to look for at Wednesday's Democratic debate," 18 Nov. 2019 In addition to the quality controls, the draft rules reiterated the government’s tough stance on predatory pricing. — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "India wants online retailers to take responsibility for fake reviews and counterfeits," 13 Nov. 2019 After the earnings call, Guggenheim reiterated its buy rating and maintained a $84 price target. — Glenn Peoples, Billboard, "Live Nation Lost $1.8B in Market Capitalization in Just Three Days. Why?," 11 Nov. 2019 This reiterates the belief that a disability automatically renders someone innocent, or prevents them from understanding the impact and consequences of their actions. — Kristen Lopez, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Joker' and When Physical Disability Is the Punchline," 8 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reiterate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.