rearrange

verb

re·​ar·​range ˌrē-ə-ˈrānj 

rearranged; rearranging

transitive verb

: to arrange (something or someone) again in a different way

rearranged the flowers on the table

rearrange the furniture

I rearranged my hair/clothes/glasses.

… anagrams, which are words or phrases rearranged to form different words or phrases.

—Carolyn Phelan

… massaging his knees while he talks, frequently rearranging himself into a more comfortable position.

—Daniel Ross

Sarah is more or less grimacing now …. In a minute, she'll rearrange her face to look cheerful.

—Aurelie Sheehan

… rearranging their lives … to go back to school, to get the education that was denied them or that they did not want when they were young.

—Ruth Dorgan

… thousands of people had to cancel or rearrange their travel plans.

—Ken Young

Examples of rearrange in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, along with president/GM Chris Drury trying to rearrange chairs on a sinking ship, turning the locker room into the Club High Anxiety, comes a report of about how Dolan may be getting involved. —Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 21 Dec. 2024

But a writer holed up in a room for hours on end, furiously chewing through pack after pack of gum while churning out page after page — pausing to rearrange sections, fussing over adjectives — does not compelling stagecraft make. —Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024

Her body, now frail and brittle, is also contorted and rearranged. —Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024

The woman stood her ground, suggesting alternatives such as creating a small workspace in their bedroom or rearranging the living room to accommodate a desk. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rearrange

verb

re·​ar·​range

ˌrē-ə-ˈrānj

: to arrange again usually in a different way

rearranged the furniture

rearrangement noun