reconstruct

verb

re·​con·​struct ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt 

reconstructed; reconstructing; reconstructs

transitive verb

1

: to construct again: such as

a

: to build or assemble (something) again

reconstruct a damaged chimney

b

medical : to subject (an organ or part) to surgery to re-form its structure or correct a defect

an athlete with a surgically reconstructed shoulder

2

a

: to re-create or reimagine (something from the past) especially by using information acquired through research

reconstructing a lost civilization

The solution is to reconstruct the vocabularies of vanished ancient languages (so-called protolanguages) by comparing vocabularies of modern languages derived from them.

—Jared Diamond

b

: to create an accurate reenactment or understanding of (a past occurrence or event, such as an accident) by applying scientific principles and techniques to physical evidence

McDaniel hired the firm to reconstruct a fiery collision in Limestone County several years ago in which two young women were killed when their car was engulfed in flames.

—John Peck

reconstructible

ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-tə-bəl 

adjective

reconstructive

ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-tiv 

adjective

reconstructor

ˌrē-kən-ˈstrək-tər 

noun

Examples of reconstruct in a Sentence

After the earthquake, many houses needed to be reconstructed.

Archaeologists were able to reconstruct most of the ancient village from their findings.

They are attempting to reconstruct the events that led to the bridge's collapse.

Recent Examples on the Web

The findings also demonstrate how skilled anthropologists have become at reconstructing ancient DNA and analyzing it to make inferences about the course of human history. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024

The one-of-a-kind historic structure consisted of two separate barns originally built in Surrey, England, in the 1700s, carefully dismantled and then reconstructed in California. —Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 26 Nov. 2024

The process of reconstructing the incident and identifying potential causes will take time, officials said at a Wednesday morning press conference. —Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 22 Nov. 2024

Returning to that world for Gladiator II, about Maximus’ son Lucius (Paul Mescal), not only meant reconstructing the city, but going even bigger. —Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

reconstruct

verb

re·​con·​struct ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt 

: to construct again : rebuild, remodel

Medical Definition

reconstruct

transitive verb

re·​con·​struct ˌrē-kən-ˈstrəkt 

: to subject (an organ or part) to surgery so as to re-form the structure of or to correct a defect