reform

From Middle English reformen, from Old French reformer, from Latin reformo, reformare. As a noun since 1660s, from French réforme.

• ("to form again"):
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiːˈfɔɹm/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiːˈfɔːm/
• (other senses):
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈfɔɹm/, /ɹəˈfɔɹm/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈfɔːm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)m

reform (countable and uncountable, plural reforms)

1. The change of something that is defective, broken, inefficient or otherwise negative, in order to correct or improve it

   The elections need to undergo a serious reform.

   Major reform is needed to improve the efficiency in the factory.

   • 19 February 2011, Barack Obama, Presidential Weekly Address, America Will Win the Future

     […] over the past two years, my administration has made education a top priority. We’ve launched a competition called “Race to the Top” – a reform that is lifting academic standards and getting results; not because Washington dictated the answers, but because states and local schools pursued innovative solutions.

• reformation
• amendment
• rectification
• correction

• reformation

reform (third-person singular simple present reforms, present participle reforming, simple past and past participle reformed)

1. (transitive) To put into a new and improved form or condition; to restore to a former good state, or bring from bad to good; to change from worse to better.

   to reform a profligate man; to reform corrupt manners or morals; to reform a criminal

   • 2018 January 15, Adebisi Onanuga, Robert Egbe, “‘How we stopped DPP’s office from being used to settle scores’”, in The Nation‎:

     In this interview with Law Editors and Correspondents, he speaks on the gains of reforming the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), efforts to keep underage persons out of jail.

   • 1909, H. G. Wells, chapter 9, in The History of Mr. Polly:

     “There was always something a bit wrong with him,” she said, “but nothing you mightn’t have hoped for, not till they took him and carried him off and reformed him”

   • 1709, Jonathan Swift, A Project for the Advancement of Religion and the Reformation of Manners:

     Thus human nature seems to lie under the disadvantage, that the example alone of a vicious prince, will in time corrupt an age; but the example of a good one, will not be sufficient to reform it without farther endeavours.

2. (intransitive) To return to a good state; to amend or correct one's own character or habits.

   It is hoped that many criminals, upon being freed, will eventually reform.

3. (transitive, intransitive) To form again or in a new configuration.

   This product contains reformed meat.

   The regiment reformed after surviving the first attack.

   • 2012 August 21, Jason Heller, “The Darkness: Hot Cakes (Music Review)”, in The Onion AV Club‎:

     Since first tossing its cartoonish, good-time cock-rock to the masses in the early ’00s, The Darkness has always fallen back on this defense: The band is a joke, but hey, it’s a good joke. With Hot Cakes—the group’s third album, and first since reforming last year—the laughter has died. In its place is the sad wheeze of the last surviving party balloon slowly, listlessly deflating.

   • 2021 February 10, “Fleet News: CrossCountry boosts capacity by extending two-car Class 170/5s”, in RAIL, number 924, page 29:

     Two-car CrossCountry Class 170/5 diesel multiple units are being extended to three-car formations and reclassified as Class 170/6s, to boost capacity on the Birmingham-Stansted Airport route. So far, two have been reformed by Arriva TrainCare at Bristol Barton Hill and put back into traffic.

   • 2023 August 7, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian‎:

     England reformed, this time with Kelly at the head of a 4-4-1, and rode out the final few minutes to force extra time.

• re-form

• (put into a better condition): amend, correct, rectify, mend, repair, better, improve, restore, reclaim

“reform”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

• Wells, John, Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, →ISBN, page 640

• "reform" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 262.

• former

• IPA^(key): /reˈfɔrm/, [ʁɛˈfɒˀm]

reform c (singular definite reformen, plural indefinite reformer)

1. reform

• “reform” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “reform” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

From English reform and German Reform, from French réforme. [1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈrɛform]
• Hyphenation: re‧form
• Rhymes: -orm

reform (plural reformok)

1. reform

   Synonym: újítás

• reform in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

From French réforme.

reform m (definite singular reformen, indefinite plural reformer, definite plural reformene)

1. reform

• reformere

• “reform” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From French réforme.

reform f (definite singular reforma, indefinite plural reformer, definite plural reformene)

1. reform

• “reform” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /reˈfɔrm/

reform c

1. reform

• högskolereform
• reformation
• reformator
• reformatorisk
• reformera
• reformist
• reformistisk
• reformutrymme
• stavningsreform

• reform in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• reform in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• reform in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• former

From French réforme.

• IPA^(key): /ɾɛˈfoɾm/

reform (definite accusative reformu, plural reformlar)

1. reform

• “reform”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu