regift

1 of 2

verb

re·​gift (ˌ)rē-ˈgift 

regifted; regifting; regifts

intransitive verb

: to give someone a gift that was previously received from someone else

transitive verb

: to give (a previously received gift) to someone else

regifter noun

regift

2 of 2

noun

: something given as a gift that the giver has previously received as a gift from someone else

Make sure the regift recipient doesn't frequent the same social circles that the original gift-giver does.

—Chris Mautner

Examples of regift in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And then easy to wrap again when the recipient decides to regift it. —H. Alan Scott, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024

Also, don’t regift something someone made special for you. —Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023

By early November, No Kid Hungry had used the generosity to regift $34.5 million to more than 1,200 schools, food banks and community organizations, with plans to distribute an additional $28 million by the end of the year, said Shore, who founded the nonprofit. —Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2020

To find a use or place for it, to regift or dispose of it responsibly, to show somewhat unfelt gratitude for it, to tamp down the guilt of costing someone money and being a helpless party to natural resource depletion. —Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2023

Similarly, a series of studies conducted in 2012 showed that people overestimate the extent to which givers are offended by a recipient’s decision to regift. —Annie Midori Atherton, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2022

Still, some celebs regift the bags or turn them down. —Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2022

Except, of course, someone who gets Covid-19 can regift it to others. —Adam Rogers, Wired, 23 Apr. 2021

Holguin Pineda was intrigued by the Facebook group, one of a network of thousands across the world where people regift items to neighbors instead of throwing them away. —Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2021

Noun

Finally, for your charitable regift to be effective, some special language in the paperwork is required. —Robert W. Wood, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Ask Amy: My son’s girlfriend’s snobby parents sent us a regift Miss Manners: Do guests always have to reciprocate invitations? —Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024

More:Closet shoppers regift reveals uncomfortable dynamic More:A friend with many secrets demands silence And – not to put too fine a point on it, but casinos are also dens of iniquity. —Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 23 July 2023

Recommend a registry or regift Boxer also recommends using a gift registry, like Giftster, CheckedTwice or Amazon’s Wish List, to provide specific suggestions. —Kim Fitzsimons, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2019

Gerwig’s is a regift of sorts, considering that this will technically be the eighth version of Alcott’s 1868 novel to appear on the big screen. —Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2019

No one wants to give a present that ends up relegated to the regift pile. —The Cut, 16 Dec. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1995, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for regift

• adrift
• airlift
• facelift
• festschrift
• forklift
• gearshift
• makeshift
• redshift
• sealift
• snowdrift
• spendthrift
• clift