Meaning & use
reforms
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“reforms” is a form of “reform”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Planned changes made to a system, law or institution in order to improve it.
Grammar: Plural form of the noun: introduce reforms; often reforms of or to something.
Patterns
- reforms to something
- reforms of something
The government announced sweeping reforms of the tax system.
Teachers welcomed the reforms to school funding.
Voters demanded political reforms after the scandal.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Changes something, especially a system or behavior, in order to improve it; this is the third-person singular form.
Grammar: Takes an object: he reforms the rules. Used without one: a person reforms.
Patterns
- reform something
The new minister reforms the health service one step at a time.
She reforms old habits through small daily goals.
A prisoner who reforms may qualify for early release.
Word forms
| base form | reform |
|---|---|
| past tense | reformed |
| -ing form | reforming |
Common combinations
- economic reforms
- The country introduced economic reforms.
- introduce reforms
- Parliament introduced reforms last year.
- far-reaching reforms
- Far-reaching reforms changed the courts.
- push through reforms
- The president pushed through reforms.
- call for reforms
- Activists called for reforms.
Synonyms and how they differ
- changes
- Changes is neutral and may be good or bad; reforms implies a deliberate improvement.
- improvements
- Improvements stress the better result, while reforms stress the planned process.
- revisions
- Revisions are smaller edits to something existing, usually text or plans.
- overhauls
- Overhauls suggests more thorough rebuilding than reforms, often of a whole system.
Word family
Commonly confused: reforms or word?
reforms vs word
note
Practice
After the scandal, the council promised ___ to make its spending more open.
Choose one answer.
A plural noun is needed after promised, and reforms fits. Reformer is a person, so it does not match the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reforms”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.