Meaning & use
reestablish
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To set something up again after it has stopped, been lost or been destroyed.
Grammar: Takes an object: reestablish contact.
Patterns
- reestablish something
- reestablish something with someone
The two countries agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations.
Rescuers worked to reestablish contact with the stranded hikers.
The city hopes to reestablish its old market.
verbtransitive
To bring a condition, habit or authority back to its earlier firm state.
Grammar: Often takes an abstract object such as order, control or trust.
Patterns
- reestablish order
- reestablish yourself as something
Police moved in to reestablish order.
After a long injury, she reestablished herself as the team's top scorer.
The new manager tried to reestablish trust.
Word forms
| third person singular | reestablishes |
|---|---|
| past tense | reestablished |
| past participle | reestablished |
| -ing form | reestablishing |
Common combinations
- reestablish contact
- We managed to reestablish contact after the storm.
- reestablish order
- Troops were sent to reestablish order.
- reestablish relations
- The nations reestablished relations after thirty years.
- reestablish control
- The airline worked to reestablish control of its schedule.
- reestablish trust
- It takes time to reestablish trust after a betrayal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- restore
- Restore suggests returning something to a former good condition, while reestablish suggests setting up again something that had ended.
- reinstate
- Reinstate is used for putting a person or rule back in a position, which is narrower than reestablish.
- revive
- Revive implies bringing something back to life or activity, often with energy, rather than formally setting it up.
- resume
- Resume means to continue after a break, whereas reestablish means to create the situation again.
Opposites
Word family
- establish verb
- to set up or create
- reestablishment noun
- the act of setting up again
- establishment noun
- the act of setting up, or an organization
- established adjective
- long in place and accepted
Commonly confused: reestablish or restablish?
reestablish vs restablish
Restablish is not a standard word; the correct forms are reestablish or re-establish.
Practice
After the flood, workers rushed to ______ power to the hospital.
Choose one answer.
Reestablish means set up again something that was lost, which fits power supply after a flood. The other verbs would mean the opposite or delay it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reestablish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.