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reiterate

verb
re·​it·​er·​ate | \ rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt How to pronounce reiterate (audio) \
reiterated; reiterating

Definition of reiterate

transitive verb

: to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect
Other Words from reiterate Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about reiterate

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Other Words from reiterate

reiteration \ (ˌ)rē-​ˌi-​tə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce reiteration (audio) \ noun
reiterative \ rē-​ˈi-​tə-​ˌrā-​tiv How to pronounce reiterative (audio) , -​t(ə-​)rə-​tiv \ adjective
reiteratively adverb

Did You Know?

Can you guess the meaning of iterate, a less common relative of reiterate? It must mean simply "to state or do," right? Nope. Actually, iterate also means "to state or do again." It's no surprise, then, that some usage commentators have insisted that reiterate must always mean "to say or do again AND AGAIN." No such nice distinction exists in actual usage, however. Both reiterate and iterate can convey the idea of a single repetition or of many repetitions. Reiterate is the older of the two words — it first appeared in the 15th century, whereas iterate turned up around 1533. Both stem from the Latin verb iterare, which is itself from iterum ("again"), but reiterate took an extra step, through Latin reiterare("to repeat").

Examples of reiterate in a Sentence

He iterates and reiterates that his lab likewise provided the French with many biological tools and samples, as well as significant technical guidance … — Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review, 24 Mar. 1991 Easy victories bring little satisfaction; repeated failures encourage reiterated effort, to the moment of ultimate gratification or ultimate resignation. — Peter Gay, Style in History, 1974 Judge Douglas has again, for, I believe, the fifth time, if not the seventh, in my presence, reiterated his charge of a conspiracy or combination between the National Democrats and Republicans. — Abraham Lincoln, debate versus Stephen A. Douglas, 7 Oct. 1858 "And are you glad to see me?" asked she, reiterating her former question, and pleased to detect the faint dawn of a smile. — Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847 She avoided answering our questions directly, instead reiterating that the answers could be found in her book. Allow me to reiterate: if I am elected, I will not raise taxes.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Heinlein reiterated that position during an interview on Thursday, as did Fire Authority Chief Tony Mecham on Friday. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Julian volunteer firefighters nearing end of court fight to save their department," 8 Sep. 2019 Alabama Supreme Court Justice Champ Lyons, who chairs the study group, reiterated what others have said, that new prisons alone would not fix the problems. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "Alabama prison study group to turn to sentence reforms next," 5 Sep. 2019 Garza reiterated the charter provisions regarding possible removal. — Jeff B. Flinn, ExpressNews.com, "Cibolo City Council fails to oust mayor," 21 Aug. 2019 At another point, Inslee reiterated his pledge to do away with the Senate filibuster to help advance a climate agenda. — Mark K. Matthews, Scientific American, "Climate Comes Up at Democratic Debate, But with Few New Details," 27 June 2019 In May, the Travel and Tourism Board reiterated its full support of SHIFT. — Christine Yu, Outside Online, "What Happened at the SHIFT Festival?," 25 June 2019 Despite their variety, gestures can be loosely defined as movements used to reiterate or emphasize a message—whether that message is explicitly spoken or not. — Wired, "How the Brain Links Gestures, Perception, and Meaning," 31 Mar. 2019 Powell reiterated twice in his speech that the Fed's overriding goal is to ensure the economy continues to grow and the central bank would do what was necessary to make that happen. — Anchorage Daily News, "Trump calls the Fed chair an ‘enemy’ after Powell said trade war is ‘turbulent’," 23 Aug. 2019 To reiterate, nobody (including Carpenter himself) has ever run that fast in the ascent-only race. — Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, "Will Kilian Jornet Break Running’s Toughest Record?," 23 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reiterate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of reiterate

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for reiterate

Middle English, from Latin reiteratus, past participle of reiterare to repeat, from re- + iterare to iterate

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More Definitions for reiterate

reiterate

verb
How to pronounce reiterate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of reiterate

somewhat formal : to repeat something you have already said in order to emphasize it

See the full definition for reiterate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reiterate

verb
re·​it·​er·​ate | \ rē-ˈi-tə-ˌrāt How to pronounce reiterate (audio) \
reiterated; reiterating

Kids Definition of reiterate

: to repeat something said or done I reiterated my warning.

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More from Merriam-Webster on reiterate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with reiterate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reiterate

Spanish Central: Translation of reiterate

Nglish: Translation of reiterate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of reiterate for Arabic Speakers

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