reform

Borrowed from Old French reformer, from Latin reformo, reformare. As a noun since 1660s, from French réforme.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɹiˈfɔɹm/, /ɹəˈfɔɹm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)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
   • 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.

   The elections need to undergo a serious reform.

   A major reform is needed to improve the efficiency in the factory.

• reformation
• amendment
• rectification
• correction

• monetary reform

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

     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, The History of Mr. Polly Chapter 9

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

   • “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.

   The pop group reformed for one final tour.

   • 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.

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

reform in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

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

• former

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

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

reform (plural reformok)

1. reform

From French réforme

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

1. a 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.

reform c

1. reform

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