reinstate
- 01 C1 Advanced
to give someone their former job or position back after they were removed from it.
to restore a person to a former position, office, or rank. Transitive; requires a direct object representing the person being restored.
Simple“The company agreed to reinstate the worker after the union proved he was fired unfairly.”
In context“Following a thorough internal investigation that cleared him of all charges, the board voted unanimously to reinstate the CEO to his former role.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice in news reports regarding employment disputes.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to start using a rule, law, or system again that was stopped in the past.
to re-establish or bring back into use a law, policy, or practice that had been abolished or suspended.
Simple“The city decided to reinstate the old parking rules to reduce traffic in the center.”
In context“The government faced significant public pressure to reinstate the environmental protections that had been rolled back during the previous administration.”
UsageCommonly takes abstract nouns like 'policy', 'law', 'ban', or 'requirement' as objects.
“Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was too late to reinstate cancelled appointments on Monday, but health chiefs were working to reorganise those scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday.”
“Reinstating them on the original timetable will be a tough task for hospitals.”
From re- + instate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.