reformed; reforming; reforms
1
a
: to put or change into an improved form or condition
b
: to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses
2
: to put an end to (an evil) by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action
3
: to induce or cause to abandon evil ways
reform a drunkard
4
a
: to subject (hydrocarbons) to cracking
b
: to produce (gasoline, gas, etc.) by cracking
: to become changed for the better
1
: amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved
2
: removal or correction of errors or of an abuse or a wrong
3
capitalized
: reform judaism
1
: relating to or favoring reform
All of the great American reform movements—from civil rights to child-labor laws—started far from Washington, D.C. In state legislatures and town halls …—
William Greider
William Greider2
Reform
: of, relating to, or practicing Reform Judaism
Reform Jews, by the end of the nineteenth century, had adopted the custom of rising to their feet to pronounce the Shema in unison.—Jonathan D. Sarna
Jonathan D. Sarna
re-formed; re-forming; re-forms
: to form again
: to take form again
the ice re-formed on the lake
Synonyms
Examples of reform in a Sentence
Verb (1)
The program is designed to reform prisoners.
They want to reform campaign spending.
The laws need to be reformed.
The program is designed to help former gang members who are trying to reform.
Noun
A group of senators are calling for reform of the nation's health-care system.
He has proposed a list of political reforms.
Recent Examples on the WebNora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
For President Kennedy, the movement to reform mental healthcare was personal.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
This has added extra scrutiny to the already contentious debate about how — or whether — to reform the criminal justice system.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
The investigation prompted various attempts to reform the system that allowed misconduct and unaccountability at the facilities, resulting at times in patient deaths.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Nineteen Republicans broke ranks with party leadership and voted against the measure, despite urging from Johnson that the legislation reformed the FISA program and is necessary for national security.
—Jay O'Brien, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
The arrogant intransigence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused to accept pragmatic proposals such as the reintroduction of a reformed and improved Palestinian Authority, presents a significant obstacle.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The Legislature adjourned in 2023 without acting on a proposal to reform how the state handles custody cases.
—Michael Squires, ProPublica, 8 Apr. 2024
Lee refused to accept Wray’s assurances the program has been reformed.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Benjamin Powell, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
While Polis has pursued land-use reforms that seek to spur denser development, progressive lawmakers have sought more immediate protections to reduce evictions and displacements.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The promise of economic integration, with Palestinian workers crossing from Gaza into Israel, might even promote reform within the Strip.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
How are politicians responding to Rishi Sunak’s welfare reforms?
—Armani Syed, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
But privacy reform was the focus of much of the hearing, as a discussion draft for the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) revived the issue after years of inaction.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 17 Apr. 2024
Investigative journalists, government officials, and heartbreaking books like 1962's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest exposed Americans to the horrors of the asylum system and sparked a movement for reform.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
Whitmer, speaking to reporters Monday, said there needs to be reform of federal border policy, but warned any reform must acknowledge the economic impact generated by immigrants in the U.S. and in Michigan.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
While that amendment has been welcomed by members on both sides of the issue, privacy hawks say the ban is not quite the major reform that Turner has proclaimed.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2022
Three of the seven candidates in Iran’s presidential election dropped out days before the June 18 vote, leaving just one pro-reform contender and helping hardline frontrunner Ebrahim Raisi consolidate his support.
—Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2021
Farhad Meysami was released from prison on Friday, according to the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily.
—Jonny Hallam, CNN, 10 Feb. 2023
According to the Associated Press, Akbari served as deputy defense minister under President Mohammad Khatami — a pro-reform cleric who came to power in 1997 — until 2001.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Iran’s parliament and judiciary are reviewing the country’s mandatory hijab law, Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told a pro-reform outlet.
—Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 5 Dec. 2022
In a video obtained by CNN via the pro-reform activist outlet Iran Wire, two uniformed officers can be seen in what appears to be an attempt to arrest a protester.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 30 Oct. 2022
Sources inside the prison told pro-reform outlet IranWire that guards fired tear gas all night after the fire broke out.
—Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN, 17 Oct. 2022
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024
This also gives the two of them the space to Talk It Out, re-forming the Warder bond Moiraine broke at the beginning of the season (still fuzzy on the mechanics of that) and rededicating themselves to the support of the Dragon Reborn.
—Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 6 Oct. 2023
The structure in bread dough comes from gluten, which forms when the proteins in flour mix with water and break apart, then re-form in a strong network.
—Genevieve Ko, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
These materials can then be melted and remade again and again because the cross-linkers can break and re-form their bonds.
—Susan Cosier, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
Sixty-odd years ago, Oregon was part of another conference realignment when the Pacific Coast Conference — a precursor of the Pac-12 — dissolved and re-formed without Oregon or Oregon State.
—Ken Goe For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
In the Bellingshausen Sea, the home of the penguin colonies in this study, sea ice didn’t start to re-form until late April 2023.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
The mass exodus on Pitch-Black Friday left a quartet of schools and one gigantic question behind: Will Stanford and Cal link arms with Oregon State and Washington State to re-form the Pac-12 through possible raids of the Mountain West and American conferences?
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2023
The water streaming down from the Sierra Nevada has inundated vast farmlands in the southern San Joaquin Valley, re-forming Tulare Lake, which according to state officials now covers more than 113,000 acres, an area nearly as large as Lake Tahoe.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
Verb
The Cuban government blames the U.S. embargo for the situation, but for years has been unable to reform its socialist economy, which is centrally planned and bogged down by bureaucratic restrictions and mismanagement.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
For President Kennedy, the movement to reform mental healthcare was personal.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
This has added extra scrutiny to the already contentious debate about how — or whether — to reform the criminal justice system.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
The investigation prompted various attempts to reform the system that allowed misconduct and unaccountability at the facilities, resulting at times in patient deaths.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Nineteen Republicans broke ranks with party leadership and voted against the measure, despite urging from Johnson that the legislation reformed the FISA program and is necessary for national security.
—Jay O'Brien, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
The arrogant intransigence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused to accept pragmatic proposals such as the reintroduction of a reformed and improved Palestinian Authority, presents a significant obstacle.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The Legislature adjourned in 2023 without acting on a proposal to reform how the state handles custody cases.
—Michael Squires, ProPublica, 8 Apr. 2024
Lee refused to accept Wray’s assurances the program has been reformed.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
However, any solution to our border difficulties must entail reforms that make legal immigration a more plausible option for would-be migrants.
—Benjamin Powell, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
While Polis has pursued land-use reforms that seek to spur denser development, progressive lawmakers have sought more immediate protections to reduce evictions and displacements.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
The promise of economic integration, with Palestinian workers crossing from Gaza into Israel, might even promote reform within the Strip.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
How are politicians responding to Rishi Sunak’s welfare reforms?
—Armani Syed, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
But privacy reform was the focus of much of the hearing, as a discussion draft for the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) revived the issue after years of inaction.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 17 Apr. 2024
Investigative journalists, government officials, and heartbreaking books like 1962's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest exposed Americans to the horrors of the asylum system and sparked a movement for reform.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
Whitmer, speaking to reporters Monday, said there needs to be reform of federal border policy, but warned any reform must acknowledge the economic impact generated by immigrants in the U.S. and in Michigan.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
While that amendment has been welcomed by members on both sides of the issue, privacy hawks say the ban is not quite the major reform that Turner has proclaimed.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Adjective
In a letter, 140 ophthalmologists raised concerns about a rising number of patients with severe eye injuries resulting from being shot with metal pellets and rubber bullets, according to pro-reform Iranian news site Sobhema and Iran International as well as other sites on social media.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2022
Three of the seven candidates in Iran’s presidential election dropped out days before the June 18 vote, leaving just one pro-reform contender and helping hardline frontrunner Ebrahim Raisi consolidate his support.
—Arsalan Shahla, Bloomberg.com, 16 June 2021
Farhad Meysami was released from prison on Friday, according to the Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily.
—Jonny Hallam, CNN, 10 Feb. 2023
According to the Associated Press, Akbari served as deputy defense minister under President Mohammad Khatami — a pro-reform cleric who came to power in 1997 — until 2001.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Iran’s parliament and judiciary are reviewing the country’s mandatory hijab law, Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told a pro-reform outlet.
—Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 5 Dec. 2022
In a video obtained by CNN via the pro-reform activist outlet Iran Wire, two uniformed officers can be seen in what appears to be an attempt to arrest a protester.
—Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 30 Oct. 2022
Sources inside the prison told pro-reform outlet IranWire that guards fired tear gas all night after the fire broke out.
—Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN, 17 Oct. 2022
Verb
Over the years, the group has re-formed in various incarnations, but Pylon Reenactment Society, which played Cooper’s BBQ Friday night, isn’t quite a reunion or revival.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024
This also gives the two of them the space to Talk It Out, re-forming the Warder bond Moiraine broke at the beginning of the season (still fuzzy on the mechanics of that) and rededicating themselves to the support of the Dragon Reborn.
—Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 6 Oct. 2023
The structure in bread dough comes from gluten, which forms when the proteins in flour mix with water and break apart, then re-form in a strong network.
—Genevieve Ko, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
These materials can then be melted and remade again and again because the cross-linkers can break and re-form their bonds.
—Susan Cosier, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
Sixty-odd years ago, Oregon was part of another conference realignment when the Pacific Coast Conference — a precursor of the Pac-12 — dissolved and re-formed without Oregon or Oregon State.
—Ken Goe For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
In the Bellingshausen Sea, the home of the penguin colonies in this study, sea ice didn’t start to re-form until late April 2023.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
The mass exodus on Pitch-Black Friday left a quartet of schools and one gigantic question behind: Will Stanford and Cal link arms with Oregon State and Washington State to re-form the Pac-12 through possible raids of the Mountain West and American conferences?
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2023
The water streaming down from the Sierra Nevada has inundated vast farmlands in the southern San Joaquin Valley, re-forming Tulare Lake, which according to state officials now covers more than 113,000 acres, an area nearly as large as Lake Tahoe.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reform.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to reform
Dictionary Entries Near reform
Cite this Entry
“Reform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reform. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reform
1 of 3 verb
re·form
ri-ˈfȯ(ə)rm 
1
: to make better by removal of faults
reform a prisoner
2
: to correct or improve one's own behavior or habits
reform
2 of 3 noun1
: improvement in what is bad
2
: a removal or correction of an abuse, a wrong, or errors
re-form
3 of 3 verb(ˈ)rē-ˈfȯ(ə)rm
: to form again
the ice re-formed on the lake
Legal Definition
reform
transitive verb
re·form
ri-ˈfȯrm
1
: to put (a writing) into a corrected form that more accurately reflects the agreement of the parties
allows a writing signed by mistake to be reformed—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.
compare ratify
W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.2
: to induce or cause to abandon wrongful or harmful ways
a reformed drug dealer
: to become changed for the better
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share