reengineer: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal; primarily professional, business, and technical.
Quick answer
What does “reengineer” mean?
To design or build something again.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To design or build something again; to redesign fundamentally, often using new techniques.
To reorganize or restructure a system, process, or organization completely in order to improve efficiency, functionality, or performance.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The spelling 're-engineer' with a hyphen is somewhat more common in British English, while 'reengineer' is often seen as a closed compound in American English, especially in business/tech contexts. The meaning and usage are identical.
Connotations
In both varieties, it carries connotations of modernization, efficiency drives, and sometimes disruptive corporate change.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American business English, but common in both.
Grammar
How to Use “reengineer” in a Sentence
[Subject] reengineer [Object][Subject] reengineer [Object] to [Infinitive][Object] be reengineered (by [Subject])Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “reengineer” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The firm plans to re-engineer its entire customer service process.
- We successfully re-engineered the component to use less material.
American English
- Management wants to reengineer the workflow from scratch.
- They reengineered the software to be cloud-native.
adverb
British English
- Not a standard adverb form. Use 'through re-engineering' or similar.
- Not a standard adverb form.
adjective
British English
- The re-engineered process yielded significant savings. (hyphenated participle as adjective)
- A carefully re-engineered proposal was submitted.
American English
- The reengineered platform launched last quarter. (closed compound)
- This is a completely reengineered version of the product.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
The company decided to reengineer its supply chain to reduce costs and delivery times.
Academic
The study proposes to reengineer the enzymatic pathway for enhanced biofuel production.
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation. 'We had to completely reengineer our garden layout after the tree fell.'
Technical
The team will reengineer the legacy codebase to implement a microservices architecture.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “reengineer”
Strong
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “reengineer”
- Misspelling: 'reingeneer', 're-engineere'. Using it for minor changes instead of fundamental redesign.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while most common in business and technology contexts, it can be applied to any system, process, or product that is fundamentally redesigned, from biological pathways to social programmes.
'Reengineer' implies a deeper, more systematic, and often more technical overhaul, focusing on underlying processes and structures. 'Redesign' can be more superficial, concerning outward form and function.
It is becoming less common, especially in American English. Both 'reengineer' and 're-engineer' are acceptable, but consistency within a document is key. Dictionaries often list the hyphenated form.
Yes, in corporate contexts, it can be associated with disruptive layoffs, drastic cost-cutting, and the impersonal treatment of employees as parts of a 'system' to be optimized.
To design or build something again.
Reengineer is usually formal; primarily professional, business, and technical. in register.
Reengineer: in British English it is pronounced /ˌriː.ɛn.dʒɪˈnɪə(ɹ)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌriˌɛn.dʒəˈnɪr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms specific to this word]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of an ENGINEER building something. RE-ENGINEER means to engineer it again (RE), from the ground up.
Conceptual Metaphor
ORGANIZATIONS/SYSTEMS ARE MACHINES (that can be taken apart and rebuilt).
Practice
Quiz
Which scenario best exemplifies 'reengineering'?