Meaning & use
relabeled
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“relabeled” is a form of “relabel”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past form of relabel: put a new label or tag on something, often to change the price, contents or description.
Grammar: Takes an object: the clerk relabeled the boxes.
Patterns
- relabel something
- relabel something as something
The workers relabeled every box with the new barcode.
The store relabeled the jars after the recipe changed.
She relabeled the folders so they were easier to find.
verbtransitivefigurative
Past form of relabel in a figurative sense: described or named someone or something differently, often to change how it is seen.
Grammar: Often used with as: they relabeled the cut as a reform.
Patterns
- relabel something as something
The group relabeled the policy as a temporary measure.
Critics said the company simply relabeled its old product as new.
The school relabeled detention as a reflection session.
Word forms
| base form | relabel |
|---|---|
| third person singular | relabels |
| -ing form | relabeling |
Common combinations
- relabeled the packages
- They relabeled the packages with updated dates.
- relabeled as
- The product was relabeled as organic.
- relabeled bottles
- The relabeled bottles went back on the shelf.
- relabeled data
- Researchers relabeled the data to fix earlier mistakes.
- quietly relabeled
- The firm quietly relabeled its cheapest plan.
Synonyms and how they differ
- retag
- Retag is narrower, usually meaning to change a price or digital tag rather than a full description.
- rename
- Rename gives something a new name, but relabel can also change the description or sticker on an object.
- rebrand
- Rebrand means to change a whole image or identity, usually of a company, which is bigger than relabeling.
- reclassify
- Reclassify moves something into a different official category, while relabel may just change what is written on it.
Word family
Commonly confused: relabeled or mislabeled?
relabeled vs mislabeled
Mislabeled means given the wrong label by mistake, while relabeled just means a new label was put on.
Practice
The grocery store ____ the jars after it found the first labels were printed wrongly.
Choose one answer.
Relabeled fits because new labels were put on the jars. Recalled would mean the jars were taken back, which is not the idea of changing labels.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “relabeled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.