Meaning & use
reenact
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To act out a past event so that people can see how it happened.
Grammar: Takes an object: reenact a battle.
Patterns
- reenact something
- reenact an event
Volunteers in old uniforms reenact the famous battle every summer.
Police asked the witness to reenact the accident at the scene.
The children reenacted the moon landing in their garden.
verbtransitivelegalformal
To pass a law again after it was cancelled or changed.
Grammar: Used for laws: reenact a ban.
Patterns
- reenact a law
Parliament voted to reenact the old tax law.
The council reenacted the ban after the court's decision.
Lawmakers may reenact the provision next year.
Word forms
| third person singular | reenacts |
|---|---|
| past tense | reenacted |
| -ing form | reenacting |
Common combinations
- reenact a scene
- The actors reenact a scene from the old film.
- reenact a battle
- Hobbyists reenact a medieval battle each year.
- reenact the crime
- Detectives asked him to reenact the crime.
- reenact history
- The festival lets people reenact history.
- reenact a ceremony
- They reenact the ceremony every spring.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recreate
- Recreate is broader and can mean making anything again, while reenact is about acting out events.
- replay
- Replay may only mean watching or playing again, not performing.
- reproduce
- Reproduce means copy, usually of objects or results.
- dramatize
- Dramatize turns a story into a performance, which may not be exactly how it happened.
Word family
Commonly confused: reenact or reinact?
reenact vs reinact
Reinact is a common misspelling. The correct form is reenact or re-enact.
Practice
Which sentence uses reenact correctly?
Choose one answer.
Reenact is a transitive verb meaning to act out a past event. The other sentences use wrong forms or add a preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reenact”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.