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reclaim definition

re·claim (ri klām′)

transitive verb

  1. to rescue or bring back (a person or people) from error, vice, etc. to ways of living or thinking regarded as right; reform
  2. to make (wasteland, desert, etc.) capable of being cultivated or lived on, as by filling, ditching, or irrigating
  3. to recover (useful materials) from waste products
  4. Obsolete to tame or subdue (a hawk)

Etymology: ME reclaimen < OFr réclamer < L reclamare, to cry out against: see re- & claim

noun

reclamation beyond reclaim

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

reclaim Synonyms

reclaim

v.

  1. To bring into usable condition

    rescue, restore, work over, regenerate, redeem, recondition, recover, recover from refuse, recycle, convert, enhance, remodel, develop; see also recover 1, restore 3.

  2. To reform

    rehabilitate, mend, improve; see reform 1, 2. See syn. study at recover.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

reclaim Usage Examples

Object

  • VAT: Our invoices also provide Line Item detail allowing you to reclaim the relevant VAT on the full retail price of an item.

Preposition: on

  • donation: Gift Aid Declaration: I am a UK taxpayer and have paid tax equal to or more than the amount reclaimed on this donation.

Subject

  • nature: Now these places are silent; reclaimed by nature, engulfed by a swarm of diversity.

Adjective complement

  • 28p: Do you know that under the Government's current Gift Aid Scheme we can reclaim 28p for every £ 1 you donate?

Modifying Another Word

  • automatically: Some ID systems employ ` ` garbage collection ' ' to automatically reclaim memory that is not being actively used.

Used with why or when

  • what: We have to change the UN, to reclaim what is ours.

Preposition: from

  • sea: They are said to have been reclaimed from the sea by the monks of Crowland Abbey some nine hundred years ago.

Preposition: for

  • agriculture: The former bog sites are now in carr ( wet woodland ) or have been reclaimed for agriculture.

Preposition: by

  • nature: Now these places are silent; reclaimed by nature, engulfed by a swarm of diversity.
reclaim usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"reclaim." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/reclaim>

APA Style

reclaim. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/reclaim

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