reiterate

1 of 2

verb

re·​it·​er·​ate rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt 

reiterated; reiterating

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

reiteration

2 of 2

noun

re·​it·​er·​a·​tion (ˌ)rēˌidəˈrāshən 

-itə-

plural -s

1

: the action of reiterating : repetition

development by reiteration of short simple motifs

—Henry Cowell

the poem is concluded with a reiteration of the initial idea

—C. S. Kilby

2

archaic

a

: a form printed on the reverse side of a sheet already printed on one side

b

: the action of printing a reiteration : perfecting

c

: matter printed by reiteration

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").

Synonyms of reiterate

Verb

• repeat
• replicate
• renew

Examples of reiterate in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Despite the grim cliffhanger, hope remains, Bradway reiterates. —Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2026

Ahead of the debut, the rocket, satellite and AI company’s CEO Elon Musk addressed Nasdaq in Texas, reiterating the company’s extraterrestrial goals. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Two years later, Teresa reiterated her daughter's acting dreams. —Jamie Ballard, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026

Sam Raskin, a mayoral spokesperson, pointed to Mamdani’s statements since becoming mayor reiterating his support for doing away with the SRG, in response to the DSA’s criticism. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Medieval Latin reiteration-, reiteratio, from Latin reiteratus (past participle) + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for reiterate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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Kids Definition

reiterate

verb

re·​it·​er·​ate rē-ˈit-ə-ˌrāt 

reiterated; reiterating

: to say or do over again or repeatedly

reiteration

(ˌ)rē-ˌit-ə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

reiterative

rē-ˈit-ə-ˌrāt-iv 

-rət-

adjective

reiteratively adverb

reiterativeness noun