What does reform mean?

Definitions for reform
rɪˈfɔrmre·form

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word reform.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. reformnoun

    a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses

    "justice was for sale before the reform of the law courts"

  2. reformnoun

    a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices

    "the reforms he proposed were too radical for the politicians"

  3. reformverb

    self-improvement in behavior or morals by abandoning some vice

    "the family rejoiced in the drunkard's reform"

  4. reformverb

    make changes for improvement in order to remove abuse and injustices

    "reform a political system"

  5. reform, reclaim, regenerate, rectifyverb

    bring, lead, or force to abandon a wrong or evil course of life, conduct, and adopt a right one

    "The Church reformed me"; "reform your conduct"

  6. reformverb

    produce by cracking

    "reform gas"

  7. reformverb

    break up the molecules of

    "reform oil"

  8. reformverb

    improve by alteration or correction of errors or defects and put into a better condition

    "reform the health system in this country"

  9. reform, straighten out, see the lightverb

    change for the better

    "The lazy student promised to reform"; "the habitual cheater finally saw the light"

Wiktionary

  1. reformnoun

    Amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation; as, reform of elections; reform of government.

  2. reformverb

    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.

  3. reformverb

    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.

  4. reformverb

    To form again or in a new configuration.

  5. Etymology: réforme

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. REFORMnoun

    Reformation.

    Etymology: French.

  2. To REFORMverb

    To change from worse to better.

    Etymology: reformo, Lat. reformer, Fr.

    A sect in England, following the very same rule of policy, seeketh to reform even the French reformation, and purge out from thence also dregs of popery. Richard Hooker, b. iv. s. 8.

    Seat worthier of Gods, was built
    With second thoughts, reforming what was old. John Milton.

    May no such storm
    Fall on our times, where ruin must reform. John Denham.

    Now low’ring looks presage approaching storms,
    And now prevailing love her face reforms. Dryden.

    One cannot attempt the perfect reforming the languages of the world, without rendering himself ridiculous. John Locke.

    The example alone of a vicious prince will corrupt an age; but that of a good one will not reform it. Jonathan Swift.

  3. To Reformverb

    To make a change from worse to better.

    Was his doctrine of the mass struck out in this conflict? or did it give him occasion of reforming in this point? Francis Atterbury.

Wikipedia

  1. Reform

    Reform (Latin: reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement which identified “Parliamentary Reform” as its primary aim. Reform is generally regarded as antithetical to revolution. Developing countries may carry out a wide range of reforms to improve their living standards, often with support from international financial institutions and aid agencies. This can include reforms to macroeconomic policy, the civil service, and public financial management. In the United States, rotation in office or term limits would, by contrast, be more revolutionary, in altering basic political connections between incumbents and constituents.

ChatGPT

  1. reform

    Reform refers to the process of making changes or improvements to something such as a system, organization, law, or practice, with an intention to correct its faults or enhance its effectiveness. It often involves rectifying existing problems or injustices and is usually driven by social, political, or economic motivations.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Reformverb

    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

  2. Reformverb

    to return to a good state; to amend or correct one's own character or habits; as, a man of settled habits of vice will seldom reform

  3. Reformnoun

    amendment of what is defective, vicious, corrupt, or depraved; reformation; as, reform of elections; reform of government

Wikidata

  1. Reform

    Reform is a British right-wing think tank based in London, whose declared mission is to set out a better way to deliver public services and economic prosperity via private sector involvement and market de-regulation. Reform describes itself as independent and non-partisan. It was founded in 2001 by Nick Herbert and Andrew Haldenby.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Reform

    rē-form′, v.t. to form again or anew: to transform: to make better: to remove that which is objectionable from: to repair or improve: to reclaim.—v.i. to become better: to abandon evil: to be corrected or improved.—n. a forming anew: change, amendment, improvement: an extension or better distribution of parliamentary representation, as in the Reform Bill.—adj. Refor′mable.—n. Reformā′tion, the act of forming again: the act of reforming: amendment: improvement: the great religious revolution of the 16th century, which gave rise to the various evangelical or Protestant organisations of Christendom.—adjs. Refor′mātive, forming again or anew: tending to produce reform; Refor′mātory, reforming: tending to produce reform.—n. an institution for reclaiming youths and children who have been convicted of crime.—adj. Reformed′, formed again or anew: changed: amended: improved: denoting the churches formed after the Reformation, esp. those in which the Calvinistic doctrines, and still more the Calvinistic polity, prevail, in contradistinction to the Lutheran.—ns. Refor′mer, one who reforms: one who advocates political reform: one of those who took part in the Reformation of the 16th century; Refor′mist, a reformer.—Reformed Presbyterians, a Presbyterian denomination originating in Scotland (see Cameronian); Reform school, a reformatory. [L. re-, again, formāre, to shape—forma, form.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Reform

    the name given in England to successive attempts and measures towards the due extension of the franchise in the election of the members of the House of Commons.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz

  1. REFORM

    In general, a periodic epidemic, starting with marked heat, followed by a high fever, and accompanied by a flow of ink in the newspapers, a discharge of words from the face and a rush of blood to the polls, leaving the victim a chronic invalid until the next campaign. In New York, reform has been confined to a Low attempt at government.

Editors Contribution

  1. reform

    To create a new or improved form.

    It is important to reform some governmental systems to ensure justness, fairness and truth.


    Submitted by MaryC on October 23, 2020  


  2. reform

    To create change to ensure optimum health, right to life, human rights, fairness, justness, unity, peace, inclusion and freedom.

    Reform is welcomed by the electorate and it leads to the creation of a national unity government for the optimum health and prosperity of everyone.


    Submitted by MaryC on March 1, 2020  

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'reform' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1948

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'reform' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2164

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'reform' in Nouns Frequency: #582

How to pronounce reform?

How to say reform in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of reform in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of reform in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of reform in a Sentence

  1. Will Burr:

    Repeal of the individual AMT has been a fundamental element of Republican tax reform campaign promises for years, by leaving the individual AMT in place, we would be punishing hardworking Americans and doing virtually nothing to simplify the tax code.

  2. Mike Pence:

    As the legislative process goes forward, the President and I believe that the American Health Care Act is the framework for reform. We're certainly open to improvements and recommendations in the legislative process, but this is the bill, and the President supports the American Health Care Act and looks forward to working very directly with the leadership of the House and Senate to move this bill.

  3. Yanis Varoufakis:

    We outlined to him the main objectives of this government which is to reform Greece in a way that has never been tried before and with a determination that was always absent, we also stated categorically that the debt-deflationary cycle in which Greece finds itself is detrimental to all efforts to reform Greece.

  4. Richard Horsey:

    It's really the president and the president's administration, rather than the biggest party in parliament, that determines what happens next in the reform process, that's the real question.

  5. Bernie Sanders:

    Now, I have many disagreements with Hillary Clinton. And one of them is that I don't think it's good enough just to talk the talk on campaign finance reform. You've got to walk the walk.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

reform#1#3345#10000

Translations for reform

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"reform." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/reform>.

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