reiterate
verb
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
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.
Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 14 July 2025
The clinical results released to mark the serum’s 10th anniversary reiterate the reason behind the product’s lasting power: a 23% reduction in fine lines, 28% improvement in hydration, and 43% boost in skin vitality.
—Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Despite this, Noem has doubled down on her stance, reiterating her wider vision to dismantle FEMA as currently structured and replace it with a leaner, state-empowering model, as reported by Reuters.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Nunn announced his reelection bid Friday night after President Donald Trump reiterated his endorsement of him.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reiterate
Cite this Entry
“Reiterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reiterate. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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reiterate
verb
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