reconquer

verb

re·​con·​quer (ˌ)rē-ˈkäŋ-kər How to pronounce reconquer (audio)
reconquered; reconquering; reconquers

transitive verb

: to conquer again
especially : recover by conquest
As a consequence North Africa was easily reconquered by the Byzantine emperor in the 530s, and the Vandals' influence on North African development was ephemeral and negligible. Norman F. Cantor
His position is more secure than ever, and it's only a matter of time before he reconquers most of Syria. Max Boot

Examples of reconquer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1973, Syrian forces reconquered the Golan Heights in a surprise attack, before Israel’s counterattack reclaimed it. Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 30 July 2024 In early 2023, less than two years after reconquering Afghanistan amidst a chaotic U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban allotted the largest share of Afghanistan’s budget to defense, expressing its aim to build air defenses. Paul Iddon, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 There were statues of the Gimo in front of schools and public buildings; maps of China illustrated the official goal of reconquering the mainland. Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024 The payoff can be great when these conditions combine: Germany conquered France in a month, Israel defeated Egypt in six days, and the United States reconquered Kuwait in 100 hours. Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2024 The United States and its European allies have provided billions of dollars in weapons and financial aid to help stop Putin’s drive to reconquer the Russian Empire. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023 In another video, scored to the soundtrack of Lord of the Rings, a cultural touchstone for Europe’s new hard right, Mr. Abascal leads a posse of men on horseback to reconquer Europe. Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 23 July 2023 The Biafran war ended in 1970, when Nigeria reconquered the breakaway region and expelled most of the European missionaries. Clay Risen, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2023 These disputes became more rancorous after Russia’s 2008 war in Georgia and its 2014 annexation of Crimea, with liberal internationalists arguing that these wars revealed Putin to be an imperialist, revisionist leader seeking to reconquer the Soviet empire. Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reconquer was in 1523

Dictionary Entries Near reconquer

Cite this Entry

“Reconquer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reconquer. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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