WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
re•con•struc•tion
(rē′kən struk′shən),USA pronunciation n.
re′con•struc′tion•al, re′con•struc′tion•ar′y, adj.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- an act of reconstructing.
- American History(cap.) [U.S. Hist.]
- the process by which the states that had seceded were reorganized as part of the Union after the Civil War.
- the period during which this took place, 1865–77.
- re- + construction 1785–95
re•con•struct /ˌrikənˈstrʌkt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to construct again;
rebuild;
make over:to reconstruct the battle-torn country. - to re-create in the mind from available information:to reconstruct the events of the murder.
re•con•struct
(rē′kən strukt′),USA pronunciation v.t.
re′con•struct′i•ble, adj.
re′con•struc′tor, re′con•struct′er, n.
- to construct again;
rebuild;
make over. - to re-create in the mind from given or available information:to reconstruct the events of the murder.
- Linguistics[Historical Ling.]to arrive at (hypothetical earlier forms of words, phonemic systems, etc.) by comparison of data from a later language or group of related languages.
- re- + construct 1760–70
re′con•struc′tor, re′con•struct′er, n.
'reconstruction' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
dramatization
- EBRD
- IBRD
- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- intuitionism
- Mannheim
- perestroika
- Rathenau
- stemma
- Stevens
- Wolfensohn
- World Bank
- yoke
- anaplasty
- carpetbagger
- historical novel
- imitate
- internal reconstruction
- lower criticism
- mammoplasty
- nightrider
- pre-Reconstruction
- Reconstruction Acts
- Reconstructionism
- Reconstructionist
- reorganization
- restoration
- RFC
- tympanoplasty
- scalawag
- self-reconstruction
- shunt
- Sturbridge