rewild

verb

re·​wild (ˌ)rē-ˈwī(-ə)ld 

rewilded; rewilding; rewilds

1

transitive + intransitive : to return to a more natural or wild state : to make or become natural or wild again

Are there garden beds, growing containers or areas under shrubs and trees where you can leave things a little less tidy? If you are able, rewild these places to support hundreds of native pollinators.

—Kara Carleton

[George] Monbiot's thesis is that to halt and reverse climate change and the global extinction crisis, we must drastically reduce the amount of land we farm, and rewild it with forests and wetlands.

—Philippa Jamieson

It overlooks what was once part of a golf course, although you would never guess, given how quickly the land has rewilded.

—Adam McCulloch

specifically : to increase biodiversity and restore the natural processes of an ecosystem typically by reducing or ceasing human activity and reintroducing plant and animal species

The reintroduction of jaguars to Iber is part of a larger effort to restore—or rewild—ecosystems in Argentina and Chile.

—Elizabeth Alberts

2

transitive : to return (an animal) to the wild

Today, efforts to conserve, breed, and rewild bison on tribal lands are being led by the InterTribal Buffalo Council …, the National Bison Association, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Department of the Interior to name a few.

—Kelly Goles

In a first in the state, the Tamil Nadu forest department is all set to rewild a tiger cub at Monombolly forest range …

—Times of India

Examples of rewild in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The current plans for the redevelopment imagine a third of the acreage set aside to expand the park and rewild a wetlands habitat that could support endangered species populations and expand the ecosystem near the Santa Cruz River. —John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024

The black sands of Playa Negra are ideal for lounging beneath palm fronds and an excursion to the nearby Jaguar Rescue Center, which rehabilitates and rewilds the cats, is a must. —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 7 Oct. 2024

Support conservation organizations Nonprofits like Pollinator Partnership and Pollinator Pathway work to educate the public on the importance of pollinators as well as provide tools and resources for people who want to rewild their yards to welcome pollinators. —Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2024

Nonprofits like Pollinator Partnership and Pollinator Pathway work to educate the public on the importance of pollinators as well as provide tools and resources for people who want to rewild their yards to welcome pollinators. —Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2024

Now, some very good boys and girls are being deployed to help rewild an urban nature reserve in England. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 July 2024

In both California and Mexico, efforts to rewild our blue carbon ecosystems are coming from the ground up but need much more support from governments and carbon markets. —Serge Dedina, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024

In the cities of Brazil, a landscape architect creates abundant private gardens that rewild the terrain from which these metropolises grew. —Evan Nicole Brown, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024

As part of the Green Initiative, the Kingdom has begun a massive conservation effort to rewild its deserts, protect endangered species, and restore native biodiversity. —Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

re- + wild entry 1

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined at sense 1