reiterate

verb

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re·it·er·ate | \ rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt

reiterated; reiterating

Definition of reiterate

transitive verb

: to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect

Other Words from reiterate Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about reiterate

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Other Words from reiterate

reiteration \ (ˌ)rē-ˌi-tə-ˈrā-shən

\ noun

reiterative \ rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrā-tiv

, -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 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 His speech will reiterate his intent to move away from some of the global engagement policies of the last four years, according to a senior administration official. — CBS News, "Watch Live: Biden addresses the Munich Security Conference," 19 Feb. 2021 Dennett’s comment annoyed me at first; Life just gives him an excuse to reiterate his defense of hard-core materialism. — John Horgan, Scientific American, "Quantum Mechanics, Free Will and the Game of Life," 14 Feb. 2021 President Joe Biden could remain ambivalent on ending the filibuster rule, and continue to reiterate his belief that Republicans will come to the table and negotiate in good faith. — Alex Pareene, The New Republic, "Democrats Can Preach “Unity” and Still Kill the Filibuster," 23 Jan. 2021 Brady took to Twitter to reiterate his belief that Seymour belongs in the Hall on Tuesday. — Andrew Mahoney, BostonGlobe.com, "Pro Football Hall of Fame voters meet to discuss 2021 class as Tom Brady throws support behind Richard Seymour," 19 Jan. 2021 The secretary’s office’s initial response was to reiterate that all credible complaints were being investigated -- and that only a court could order a hand recount. — Margaret Newkirk, Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s Main Obstacle in Flipping Georgia Vote Is Republican," 12 Nov. 2020 Democrats on the committee selected Krebs as a witness and asked him to reiterate his assessment that the election faced no significant security threats. — Emily Brooks, Washington Examiner, "Election integrity hearing turns into Christopher Krebs show," 16 Dec. 2020 In fact, the pandemic is a great time to reiterate your commitment, share your goals for the future and ask for help and advice. — Alexandra Carter, NBC News, "5 benefits to negotiate for at work (when a raise is off the table)," 20 Oct. 2020 Still, Florida felt a need to reiterate a Heisman case for him after SEC coaches failed to name him first-team all-conference. — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, "Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and Florida’s Kyle Trask endured vastly different paths en route to the Cotton Bowl Classic," 28 Dec. 2020

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.