Meaning & use
rejoin
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To become a member of a group, team, or organization again after leaving it.
Grammar: Takes an object: rejoin the club. The object is the group you return to.
Patterns
- rejoin a group
- rejoin a team
- rejoin an organization
After taking a year off to travel, she decided to rejoin the company.
He left the army in 2010 but rejoined it two years later.
The player hopes to rejoin his team after recovering from injury.
verbtransitive
To go back to a place or group of people that you had left.
Grammar: Takes an object: rejoin your friends. Often used with a place or a person.
Patterns
- rejoin someone
- rejoin a place
She left the party early but rejoined us later at the restaurant.
He rejoined his family in the living room after taking the call.
The hikers rejoined the main path after a short detour.
verbtransitive or intransitiveformalold-fashioned
To reply to someone, especially in a sharp or formal way.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: 'I disagree,' she rejoined. / She rejoined that it was unfair.
Patterns
- rejoin that…
- rejoin with something
"That is not the point," he rejoined sharply.
She rejoined that the plan had never been properly explained.
He rejoined with a witty remark that silenced the room.
Word forms
| third person singular | rejoins |
|---|---|
| past tense | rejoined |
| past participle | rejoined |
| -ing form | rejoining |
Common combinations
- rejoin a club
- He rejoined the chess club after a long break.
- rejoin the workforce
- Many parents rejoin the workforce when their children start school.
- rejoin the team
- She was delighted to rejoin the team after her injury.
- rejoin the group
- We stopped for coffee and then rejoined the group.
Synonyms and how they differ
- return to
- More general; you can return to a place, activity, or topic, but rejoin is used mainly for groups or organizations.
- re-enter
- Focuses on going back into a place or situation, not specifically becoming a member again.
Opposites
Word family
- rejoinder noun
- A quick reply, especially a witty or critical one.
Commonly confused: rejoin or join?
rejoin vs join
Join means to become a member for the first time; rejoin means to do it again after leaving.
Practice
After quitting the band in 2019, Mia decided to ______ it last year.
Choose one answer.
Rejoin means to become a member again after leaving, which fits the context of quitting and then returning. 'Join' would suggest she was a member for the first time, and 'rejoinder' is a noun, not a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rejoin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.