Words / C1

ree-in-STAYT/ˌriːɪnˈsteɪt/

To reinstate is to put someone or something back in a former post or state: reinstate a worker, reinstate a rule. Restore is a close cousin (buildings, confidence); rehire is everyday for jobs. Reinstate implies it existed before and was taken away. Do not reinstate a brand-new policy that never stood.

Meaning

To put someone or something back into a former position or state.

Examples

• “The board reinstated the dismissed editor after the inquiry.”
• “The inquiry reinstated the editor and rewrote the social-media clause.”
• “A cancelled module was reinstated after the petition, which is restore-to-the-list, not invent.”

Good to know

Put back in a former role/state. Close: restore. Jobs everyday: rehire. It must have existed before.

Near in meaning

restore

New