rearrange

verb

re·​ar·​range ˌrē-ə-ˈrānj 

rearranged; rearranging

transitive verb

: to arrange (something or someone) again in a different way

rearranged the flowers on the table

rearrange the furniture

I rearranged my hair/clothes/glasses.

… anagrams, which are words or phrases rearranged to form different words or phrases.

—Carolyn Phelan

… massaging his knees while he talks, frequently rearranging himself into a more comfortable position.

—Daniel Ross

Sarah is more or less grimacing now …. In a minute, she'll rearrange her face to look cheerful.

—Aurelie Sheehan

… rearranging their lives … to go back to school, to get the education that was denied them or that they did not want when they were young.

—Ruth Dorgan

… thousands of people had to cancel or rearrange their travel plans.

—Ken Young

Examples of rearrange in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The tricky balancing act, though, is to rearrange curricular standards to make two accommodations at the same time: increase specific technical skills – STEM: science, technology, engineering, math – while developing a broader approach to the liberal arts. —Eli Amdur, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024

To rearrange them: Long-press on the home screen until the icons and widgets start to wiggle. —Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 28 Sep. 2024

This helps travelers rearrange their travel plans before a storm cancels a flight. —Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2024

He’s had to deal with so much attention, the Dodgers have had to rearrange the press box to fit all the media. —Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rearrange

verb

re·​ar·​range

ˌrē-ə-ˈrānj

: to arrange again usually in a different way

rearranged the furniture

rearrangement noun