reiterate

verb

re·it·er·ate rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt

reiterated; reiterating

Synonyms of reiterate next

transitive verb

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

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 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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s solidarity with Israel in its fight against Hamas, after his call for Israel to stop bombing civilians in Gaza frustrated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. —

Noemie Bisserbe, WSJ, 13 Nov. 2023 The Biden Administration has been pushing the Israeli government for a pause in the fighting to allow the hostages to be released, but Netanyahu has reiterated that there will be no cease-fire without the release of the hostages. —

Alex Holmes, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2023 Trump’s promulgation of the Big Lie has surprised everyone with the extent to which it can be accepted and believed if constantly reiterated. —

Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2023 These two outfits certainly continue to reiterate this message. —

Vogue, 10 Nov. 2023 On Friday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated calls for an end to the war. —

Carrie Keller-Lynn, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023 Haley stressed her experience in foreign affairs and reiterated the case for U.S. support of Ukraine and Israel, while criticizing DeSantis for his record on energy. —

Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2023 And on the October earnings call, Spotify CFO Paul Vogel reiterated a one- to two-year timeline for the podcasting segment to reach break even. —

Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023 President Biden reiterated administration officials' calls for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war at a re-election fundraiser in Minnesota on Wednesday. —

Tarini Parti, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023 See More

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.