Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To improve by alteration, correction of error, or removal of defects; put into a better form or condition.
- intransitive verb To abolish abuse or malpractice in.
- intransitive verb To put an end to (an abuse or wrong).
- intransitive verb To induce or persuade (a person) to give up harmful or immoral practices; cause to adopt a better way of life.
- intransitive verb Chemistry To subject (hydrocarbons) to cracking.
- intransitive verb To change for the better.
- noun Action to improve or correct what is wrong or defective in something.
- noun An instance of this; an improvement.
- adjective Relating to or favoring reform.
- adjective Of or relating to Reform Judaism.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Any proceeding which either brings back a better order of things or reconstructs the present order to advantage; amendment of what is defective, vicious, depraved, or corrupt; a change from worse to better; reformation: as, to introduce reforms in sanitary matters; to be an advocate of reform.
- noun Synonyms Amendment, etc. See
reformation . - To form again or anew; remake; reconstruct; renew.
- To restore to the natural or regular order or arrangement: as, to
reform broken or scattered troops. - To restore to a former and better state, or to bring from a bad to a good state; change from worse to better; improve by alteration, rearrangement, reconstruction, or abolition of defective parts or imperfect conditions, or by substitution of something better; amend; correct: as, to
reform , a profligate man; to reform corrupt manners of morals; to reform the corrupt orthography of English or French. - To abandon, remove, or abolish for something better.
- To mend, in a physical sense; repair.
- To correct.
- Synonyms Improve, Better, etc. (see
amend ), repair, reclaim, remodel. - To form again; get into order or line again; resume order, as troops or a procession.
- To abandon that which is evil or corrupt and return to that which is good; change from worse to better; be amended or redeemed.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To return to a good state; to amend or correct one's own character or habits.
- transitive verb To put into a new and improved form or condition; to restore to a former good state, or bring from bad to good; to change from worse to better; to amend; to correct
- noun Amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation
- noun See under
Civil . - noun (Eng. Politics) acts of Parliament passed in 1832, 1867, 1884, 1885, extending and equalizing popular representation in Parliament.
- noun [U. S.] a school established by a state or city government, for the confinement, instruction, and reformation of juvenile offenders, and of young persons of idle, vicious, and vagrant habits.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation; as, reform of elections; reform of government.
- verb To put into a new and improved form or condition; to restore to a former good state, or bring from bad to good; to change from worse to better; to amend; to correct; as, to reform a profligate man; to reform corrupt manners or morals.
- verb To return to a good state; to amend or correct one's own character or habits; as, a person of settled habits of vice will seldom reform.
- verb transitive, intransitive To form again or in a new configuration.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices
- noun self-improvement in behavior or morals by abandoning some vice
- verb improve by alteration or correction of errors or defects and put into a better condition
- verb bring, lead, or force to abandon a wrong or evil course of life, conduct, and adopt a right one
- verb break up the molecules of
- verb change for the better
- verb produce by cracking
- noun a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses
- verb make changes for improvement in order to remove abuse and injustices
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The truth is that what we\'ve been calling health reform doesn\'t really \ "reform\" the system at all.
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Action Alert: Feinstein 'election reform' bill hearings next week! yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Action Alert: Feinstein \'election reform\' bill hearings next week! '
Action Alert: Feinstein 'election reform' bill hearings next week! 2007
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“We do not use the term reform school,” Annie explains.
The Worst Thing I've Done Ursula Hegi 2007
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But thanks to the mudslinging campaign in Denver, we are seeing the term "reform" hijacked, with it now being distorted to mean everything from defunding neighborhood schools to demonizing teachers to siphoning money out of public education entirely.
Michael Merrifield: Emily Sirota Offers True Reform for DPS Michael Merrifield 2011
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But thanks to the mudslinging campaign in Denver, we are seeing the term "reform" hijacked, with it now being distorted to mean everything from defunding neighborhood schools to demonizing teachers to siphoning money out of public education entirely.
Michael Merrifield: Emily Sirota Offers True Reform for DPS Michael Merrifield 2011
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There are so many things that will have to be tackled, and they have to be reformed, in the right sense of the term "reform," not just a superficial one, but deep reform that would bring back--compensate for what we have lost for so many years and build a new Egyptian society.
Democracy Now!: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on His Likely Presidential Candidacy (VIDEO) Democracy Now! 2011
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But thanks to the mudslinging campaign in Denver, we are seeing the term "reform" hijacked, with it now being distorted to mean everything from defunding neighborhood schools to demonizing teachers to siphoning money out of public education entirely.
Michael Merrifield: Emily Sirota Offers True Reform for DPS Michael Merrifield 2011
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But thanks to the mudslinging campaign in Denver, we are seeing the term "reform" hijacked, with it now being distorted to mean everything from defunding neighborhood schools to demonizing teachers to siphoning money out of public education entirely.
Michael Merrifield: Emily Sirota Offers True Reform for DPS Michael Merrifield 2011
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As the former chairman of the House Education Committee, I have been closely watching this crucial campaign unfold, and I have been increasingly dismayed by those who have tried to shroud an anti-public-education agenda under the veneer of the term "reform."
Michael Merrifield: Emily Sirota Offers True Reform for DPS Michael Merrifield 2011
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As the former chairman of the House Education Committee, I have been closely watching this crucial campaign unfold, and I have been increasingly dismayed by those who have tried to shroud an anti-public-education agenda under the veneer of the term "reform."
Michael Merrifield: Emily Sirota Offers True Reform for DPS Michael Merrifield 2011
gootnbewg commented on the word reform
Reform - without a doubt my pick for the most abused word in the world of politics. Politicians from all sides use the word "reform" deceptively to convey change for something good. But rarely do you see it used that way. For example, I live in Australia and when you read about a party introducing reform legislation, it usually means to take away, reduce, or make life much harder for people. In America, it is used incorrectly by those generally on the conservative side of politics. A reform is an improvement in order to make things better and not a kick in the guts! Cheers, gootnbewg.
August 12, 2011
uttarnikhil commented on the word reform
To improve by alteration, correction of error, or removal of defects; put into a better form or condition.
v. To abolish abuse or malpractice in: reform the government.
v. To put an end to (a wrong). See Synonyms at correct.
v. To cause (a person) to give up harmful or immoral practices; persuade to adopt a better way of life.
v. To change for the better.
n. A change for the better; an improvement.
n. Correction of evils, abuses, or errors.
n. Action to improve social or economic conditions without radical or revolutionary change.
adj. Relating to or favoring reform: a reform candidate for mayor.
adj. Of or relating to Reform Judaism.
August 28, 2013