reclaim

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reclaim

/ɹɪˈkleɪm/ UK
/ɹiːˈkleɪm/ UK
/ˈɹiːkleɪm/ UK

Rhymes with -eɪm

Where it comes from

From Middle English reclaymen, recleymen, reclamen, from Anglo-Norman reclamer (noun reclaim and Middle French reclamer (noun reclaim), from Latin reclāmō, reclāmāre. Equivalent to re- + claim.

verb reclaims · reclaiming · reclaimed

transitive To return land to a suitable condition for use.
transitive To obtain useful products from waste; to recycle.
transitive To claim something back; to repossess.
dated, transitive To return someone to a proper course of action, or correct an error; to reform. His Highneſſe pleaſure is that he ſhould liue, And be reclaim’d with princely lenitie.
archaic, transitive To tame or domesticate a wild animal. an eagle well reclaimed
archaic, transitive To call back from flight or disorderly action; to call to, for the purpose of subduing or quieting. They were the head-strong horses, who hurried Octavius […] along, and were deaf to his reclaiming them.
archaic, transitive To cry out in opposition or contradiction; to exclaim against anything; to contradict; to take exceptions. True it is he was very wild in his youth till God (the best Chymick who can fix quicksilver it self) gratiously reclaim'd him
obsolete, rare To draw back; to give way. Yet would he not perswaded be for ought, Ne from his currish will a whit reclame.
Scotland, intransitive To appeal from the Lord Ordinary to the inner house of the Court of Session.
To bring back a term into acceptable usage, usually of a slur, and usually by the group that was once targeted by that slur. Once a term of homophobic abuse, the term “queer” has been reclaimed as a marker for some gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT), and other marginalized sexual identities.

noun reclaims

countable, obsolete, uncountable The calling back of a hawk.
countable, obsolete, uncountable The bringing back or recalling of a person; the fetching of someone back. The louing couple need no reskew feare, / But leasure had, and libertie to frame / Their purpost flight, free from all mens reclame […].
countable, uncountable An effort to take something back, to reclaim something.
abbreviation, clipping, countable, uncountable Clipping of baggage reclaim
countable, uncountable Material recovered from something that has already been used. Is it okay to smoke cannabis reclaim?

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: recover, repossess, recovery, resume, retrieve, regain, rehabilitate, reinstate, recapture, recoup, restore, retrieval, recuperate, reassume, retrain, reopen

Translations

Every language

verb to return land to a suitable condition

Español	rehabitabilizar, recuperar
中文	開墾 /开垦 kāikěn

verb to claim something back, repossess

Español	reclamar, resignificar, volver a apropiarse, reclamar de nuevo, apoderarse nuevamente, posesionarse otra vez
中文	回收 huíshōu
Português	reclamar
Français	reprendre, recouvrer, regagner, récupérer
Italiano	reclamare
עברית	תָּבַע בַּחֲזָרָה tabá bakhazará

verb to return someone to a proper course of action

中文	使悔改
Português	chamar à razão

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Cite this

MLA

"reclaim." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reclaim. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

reclaim. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reclaim

Chicago

"reclaim." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reclaim.

BibTeX

@misc{reclaim_2026,
  title = {reclaim},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reclaim},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}