Meaning of "reform" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD REFORM

Via Old French from Latin reformāre to form again.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF REFORM

reform  [rɪˈfɔːm]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF REFORM

Reform is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb reform in English.

WHAT DOES REFORM MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Reform

Reform means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 1700s and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill’s Association movement which identified “Parliamentary Reform” as its primary aim. Reform is generally distinguished from revolution. The latter means basic or radical change; whereas reform may be no more than fine tuning, or at most redressing serious wrongs without altering the fundamentals of the system. Reform seeks to improve the system as it stands, never to overthrow it wholesale. Radicals on the other hand, seek to improve the system, but try to overthrow whether it be the government or a group of people themselves. Rotation in office or term limits would, by contrast, be more revolutionary, in altering basic political connections between incumbents and constituents. 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.

Definition of reform in the English dictionary

The first definition of reform in the dictionary is to improve by alteration or correction of abuses. Other definition of reform is to give up or cause to give up a reprehensible habit or immoral way of life. Reform is also to change the molecular structure of to make it suitable for use as petrol by heat, pressure, and the action of catalysts.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO REFORM

PRESENT

Present

I reform

you reform

he/she/it reforms

we reform

you reform

they reform

Present continuous

I am reforming

you are reforming

he/she/it is reforming

we are reforming

you are reforming

they are reforming

Present perfect

I have reformed

you have reformed

he/she/it has reformed

we have reformed

you have reformed

they have reformed

Present perfect continuous

I have been reforming

you have been reforming

he/she/it has been reforming

we have been reforming

you have been reforming

they have been reforming

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I reformed

you reformed

he/she/it reformed

we reformed

you reformed

they reformed

Past continuous

I was reforming

you were reforming

he/she/it was reforming

we were reforming

you were reforming

they were reforming

Past perfect

I had reformed

you had reformed

he/she/it had reformed

we had reformed

you had reformed

they had reformed

Past perfect continuous

I had been reforming

you had been reforming

he/she/it had been reforming

we had been reforming

you had been reforming

they had been reforming

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will reform

you will reform

he/she/it will reform

we will reform

you will reform

they will reform

Future continuous

I will be reforming

you will be reforming

he/she/it will be reforming

we will be reforming

you will be reforming

they will be reforming

Future perfect

I will have reformed

you will have reformed

he/she/it will have reformed

we will have reformed

you will have reformed

they will have reformed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been reforming

you will have been reforming

he/she/it will have been reforming

we will have been reforming

you will have been reforming

they will have been reforming

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would reform

you would reform

he/she/it would reform

we would reform

you would reform

they would reform

Conditional continuous

I would be reforming

you would be reforming

he/she/it would be reforming

we would be reforming

you would be reforming

they would be reforming

Conditional perfect

I would have reform

you would have reform

he/she/it would have reform

we would have reform

you would have reform

they would have reform

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been reforming

you would have been reforming

he/she/it would have been reforming

we would have been reforming

you would have been reforming

they would have been reforming

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you reform
we let´s reform
you reform

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to reform

Past participle

reformed

Present Participle

reforming

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «REFORM»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «reform» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of reform

ameliorate · amelioration · amend · amendment · better · betterment · correct · correction · emend · get it together · go straight · improve · improvement · mend · rebuild · reclaim · reconstitute · reconstruct · rectification · rectify · regenerate · rehabilitate · rehabilitation · remodel · renovate · renovation · reorganize · repair · restore · revolutionize · shape up · turn over a new leaf

TRANSLATION OF REFORM

Find out the translation of reform to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of reform from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «reform» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 改革
• Translator English - Spanish: reforma
• English: reform
• Translator English - Hindi: सुधार
• Translator English - Arabic: الإصلاح
• Translator English - Russian: реформа
• Translator English - Portuguese: reforma
• Translator English - Bengali: reforge
• Translator English - French: réforme
• Translator English - Malay: Reforge
• Translator English - German: Reform
• Translator English - Japanese: 改革
• Translator English - Korean: 개혁
• Translator English - Javanese: Reforge
• Translator English - Vietnamese: canh tân
• Translator English - Tamil: மீண்டும் ஒன்றிணைத்து
• Translator English - Marathi: पुनर्जन्म
• Translator English - Turkish: reforge
• Translator English - Italian: riforma
• Translator English - Polish: reforma
• Translator English - Ukrainian: реформа
• Translator English - Romanian: reforma
• Translator English - Greek: μεταρρύθμιση
• Translator English - Afrikaans: hervorming
• Translator English - Swedish: reform
• Translator English - Norwegian: reform

10 QUOTES WITH «REFORM»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word reform.

1

Sal Albanese

It always takes a scandal to bring about reform.

2

Marcia Angell

Liberals are wrong to think that opposition to health reform is a rejection of big government. If health reform consisted of extending Medicare to everyone, people would be delighted. There are millions of 64-year-olds out there who can hardly wait to be 65.

3

Evan Bayh

Of course, the genesis of a good portion of the gridlock in Congress does not reside in Congress itself. Ultimate reform will require each of us, as voters and Americans, to take a long look in the mirror, because in many ways, our representatives in Washington reflect the people who have sent them there.

4

Phil Bredesen

It's not health care reform to dump more money into Medicaid.

5

Rory Bremner

When I first met Tony Blair in 1996, he was open and idealistic, keen to bring a breath of fresh air to government. But something happened - was it just the arrogance of power? - that narrowed Labour's vision from purposeful reform and investment, to peevish and petulant pragmatism.

6

Jim Bridenstine

Rather than passing a thousand pages of tax reform legislation and restarting the tax code manipulation process, we should change the paradigm. It is time to eliminate the IRS and repeal the 16th Amendment.

7

Art Buchwald

Tax reform is taking the taxes off things that have been taxed in the past and putting taxes on things that haven't been taxed before.

8

Mel Carnahan

For our welfare reform efforts to be successful, we must empower local charitable organizations with the resources to address their local community needs.

9

Nick Clegg

The Conservative Party is not honouring the commitment to Lords reform and, as a result, part of our contract has now been broken. Clearly I cannot permit a situation where Conservative rebels can pick and choose the parts of the contract they like, while Liberal Democrat MPs are bound to the entire agreement.

10

Kent Conrad

We've got to have major health care reform because that is the 800-pound gorilla. That is the thing that can swamp the boat fiscally for the United States.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «REFORM»

Discover the use of reform in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to reform and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Inside National Health Reform

This indispensable guide to the Affordable Care Act, our new national health care law, lends an insider’s deep understanding of policy to a lively and absorbing account of the extraordinary—and extraordinarily ambitious—legislative ...

John E. McDonough, 2011

Welfare Reform: Effects of a Decade of Change

In Welfare Reform, Jeffrey Grogger and Lynn Karoly assemble evidence from numerous studies to assess how welfare reform has affected behavior.

Jeff GROGGER, Lynn A. Karoly, Jeff Grogger, 2009

Radical reform: Islamic ethics and liberation

In this new book, Ramadan addresses Muslim societies and communities everywhere with a bold call for radical reform. He challenges those who argue defensively that reform is a dangerous and foreign deviation, and a betrayal of the faith.

Tariq Ramadan, 2008

The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China

Combining theoretical ambition with the flavor of on-the-ground policy-making in Beijing, this book is a major contribution to the study of reform in China and other communist countries.

Susan L. Shirk, 1993

Prostitution: Prevention and Reform in England, 1860-1914

This indispensable book reveals: * reformers' attitudes towards prostitutes and prostitution * daily life inside reform institutions * attempts at moral education * developments in moral health theories * influence of eugenics * attempts at ...

Paula Bartley, 2000

UN Security Council Reform and the Right of Veto: A ...

Analyse af FN's sikkerhedsråd og en reform af dette.

Bardo Fassbender, 1998

Health Care Reform Around the World

The book discusses trends in medical care, options for the organization of medical and other services, and reasons why market modes of organization are in the ascendant at the expense of democratic and professional interests.

Andrew C. Twaddle, 2002

The Age of Reform

This book is a landmark in American political thought.

Richard Hofstadter, 2011

Pay for Play: A History of Big-time College Athletic Reform

This book traces attempts at college athletics reform from 1855 through the early twenty-first century while analyzing the different roles played by students, faculty, conferences, university presidents, the NCAA, legislatures, and the ...

Ronald Austin Smith, 2011

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of ...

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'brainwashing' in China

Robert Jay Lifton, 1989

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «REFORM»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term reform is used in the context of the following news items.

Tsipras secures backing of Greek MPs for crucial reforms

The Greek parliament backed a second round of reforms demanded by creditors early on Thursday but the vote revealed a deepening rift in the radical leftwing ... «Financial Times, Jul 15»

Hong Kong Lawmakers Reject Electoral-Reform Proposal Backed …

Proponents said the reforms would be a first step in a longer process of democratization, while the opposition said they would instead lead to political stagnation ... «TIME, Jun 15»

UPDATE 1-G20 discusses plans to sidestep US on IMF reforms

But the Obama administration, which supports the reforms, has been unable to persuade the U.S. Congress to pass funding changes necessary for the ... «Reuters, Apr 15»

Greece says sending reform list on Friday

Greece has sent its creditors a long-awaited list of reforms with a pledge to produce a small budget surplus this year in the hope that it will unlock badly needed ... «CNBC, Mar 15»

Economic Reform Is Best Path for Greece

Greece has no good Plan B's. Its only rational course of action is to work with its eurozone creditors to reform its economy. Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, is in ... «New York Times, Mar 15»

Greece readies reform promises after Eurogroup climbdown

Greece's government prepared reform measures on Sunday to secure a financial lifeline from the euro zone, but was attacked for selling "illusions" to voters after ... «CNBC, Feb 15»

Why didn't Obama pass immigration reform when he had the chance?

Reform was a "serious concern," Obama told a group of regional reporters in March ... to believe he was committed to introducing a comprehensive reform bill. «Washington Examiner, Sep 14»

Here's One Republican's Sweeping Plan To Overhaul America's Tax …

"As Democrats, we believe it is vital that tax reform encourage economic growth, support working families, broaden the middle class, and address income ... «Business Insider, Feb 14»

5 Reasons Immigration Reform Is Going Nowhere Fast

House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he can't see a path forward on immigration reform and asked President Barack Obama to do more on the ... «TIME, Feb 14»

Text of Republicans' Principles on Immigration

In addition, we must ensure now that when immigration reform is enacted, there will be a zero tolerance policy for those who cross the border illegally or overstay ... «New York Times, Jan 14»