reclaim

verb

ri-ˈklām How to pronounce reclaim (audio)
Definition of reclaimnext
1
as in to regain
to get again in one's possession she reclaimed the championship title after losing it last year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rehabilitate
to make better in behavior or character a program to reclaim juvenile offenders by requiring them to do community service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to recycle
to obtain (a raw material) by separating it from a by-product or waste product after reclaiming the glycerin from used vegetable oil, you can use the oil to create a fuel that burns cleaner than regular gasoline

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb reclaim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of reclaim are deliver, ransom, redeem, rescue, and save. While all these words mean "to set free from confinement or danger," reclaim suggests a bringing back to a former state or condition of someone or something abandoned or debased.

reclaimed long-abandoned farms

Where would deliver be a reasonable alternative to reclaim?

While the synonyms deliver and reclaim are close in meaning, deliver implies release usually of a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering.

delivered his people from bondage

When could ransom be used to replace reclaim?

The words ransom and reclaim can be used in similar contexts, but ransom specifically applies to buying out of captivity.

tried to ransom the kidnap victim

When is it sensible to use redeem instead of reclaim?

The meanings of redeem and reclaim largely overlap; however, redeem implies releasing from bondage or penalties by giving what is demanded or necessary.

job training designed to redeem school dropouts from chronic unemployment

In what contexts can rescue take the place of reclaim?

Although the words rescue and reclaim have much in common, rescue implies freeing from imminent danger by prompt or vigorous action.

rescued the crew of a sinking ship

When can save be used instead of reclaim?

While in some cases nearly identical to reclaim, save may replace any of the foregoing terms; it may further imply a preserving or maintaining for usefulness or continued existence.

an operation that saved my life

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reclaim Years later, Ana and Iggy reunite to seek out Matías and reclaim a lost sense of innocence, only to find that time has changed everything. —Jamie Lang, Variety, 16 May 2025 Far from being silenced, activists reclaimed the word. —Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025 Gracie Abrams reclaims the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart this week with The Secret of Us (via Interscope/Universal), marking its third non-consecutive week at the top, while Australian artist Dope Lemon earns another top 10 debut with his latest release Golden Wolf, which enters at No. 8. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 9 May 2025 The Kremlin currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, which Kyiv has vowed to reclaim. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for reclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reclaim
  1. regain
  2. rehabilitate
  3. recycle
  4. recapture
  5. redeem
  6. recover
  7. retrieve
Verb
  • Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
  • Sobriety may be able to help regain better control of speech and language issues.
    — Mara Santilli, Flow Space, 26 May 2025
Definition of regain
Verb
  • The program has rescued and rehabilitated 24 seals in 2025 alone, according to the aquarium.
    — Staff report, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2025
  • Nor were they educated or important enough to be rehabilitated into the West German government — like the former Nazis who, by 1957, made up some 76 percent of the senior officials in the Justice Ministry of the Federal Republic.
    — Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Definition of rehabilitate
Verb
  • Attendees took more than 80,000 books home, and another 10,000 were recycled after the event.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
  • Maguire got booked for a faint tug on his fellow centre-back, who had tumbled in the box in a similar scenario to win his team a foul and stop United from recycling the ball.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Definition of recycle
Verb
  • Eight have since been recaptured while police continue to search for Antoine T. Massey and Derrick Groves.
    — James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
  • The other eight prisoners who escaped from their cell and hopped the barbed wire fence to freedom have all been recaptured.
    — Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2025
Definition of recapture
Verb
  • Wider adoption of stablecoins may coincide with participation by non-bank firms, which may result in assets that lack the protection of federal deposit insurance and the anti-fraud stipulations allowing users to redeem funds spent wrongfully or mistakenly, some experts said.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 May 2025
  • In addition to purchases at GM dealerships, the credit card also allows customers to gain and redeem points on digital services like most OnStar plans and Super Cruise, the hands-free driver assistance technology.
    — Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Definition of redeem
Verb
  • Time is of the essence, and a long delay seeking treatment could hamper the dog’s ability to recover.
    — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 May 2025
  • Back then, Maryland’s oyster population was just starting to recover from devastating bouts of disease, such as MSX and Dermo.
    — Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2025
Definition of recover
Verb
  • The Kane County Sheriff’s Office further said in its recent news release that a deputy arrived at the scene and retrieved the new remains.
    — David Chiu, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • On May 8, a hunter discovered human remains on Cedar Mountain, and after alerting authorities about the finding, law enforcement responded to the area and retrieved them, the Kane County Sheriff's Office reported this week.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 22 May 2025
Definition of retrieve

Browse Nearby Words

reckon with
reclaim
reclaimable
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Cite this Entry

“Reclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reclaim. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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