Meaning of rethink in English

rethink

/ˌriːˈθɪŋk/ us

/ˌriːˈθɪŋk/

rethought | rethought

to think again about a plan, idea, or system in order to change or improve it:

Her family's disapproval made her rethink her plans.

[ + question word ] The European Commission is having to rethink how it can maintain farmers' incomes while cutting costs and excess production.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to think carefully about something

considerDon't make any decisions before you've considered the matter.
contemplateHe lay in a hospital bed contemplating his future.
ponderShe sat back for a minute to ponder her next move in the game.
mull overI need a few days to mull things over before I decide.
reflectI spent a lot of time reflecting on what he'd said.
agonizeShe agonized for days before agreeing to take the job.

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We're in the middle of rethinking our strategy.
So we had to step back and rethink our approach.
People are rethinking what they're doing with their lives.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Thinking and contemplating

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Changing your mind

rethink

noun [ S ]

/ˈriː.θɪŋk/ us

/ˈriː.θɪŋk/

the act of thinking again about a plan, idea, or system in order to change or improve it:

This new information means we should have a rethink.

We probably need a rethink.

More examplesFewer examples

We need a complete rethink of our maternity and parental leave.
It's forcing a rethink of economic policy.
I told him to take a break and have a rethink about the rest of the meeting.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Thinking and contemplating

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(Definition of rethink from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

rethink | American Dictionary

rethink

verb [ T ]

/riˈθɪŋk/

past tense and past participle rethought us/riˈθɔt/

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to think again about something, such as a plan in order to change or improve it:

It’s time to rethink whether we need a part-time or full-time mayor.

(Definition of rethink from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

rethink | Business English

rethink

verb [ I or T ]

/ˌriːˈθɪŋk/ us

rethought | rethought

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to think again about a plan, idea, or system in order to change or improve it:

The company is rethinking its position on homeworkers.

rethink how/what etc. Retailers are paying more attention to male shoppers, rethinking how their goods are marketed and displayed.

The agency needs to rethink its strategy.

rethink

noun [ C, usually singular ]

/ˈriːθɪŋk/ us

(also rethinking [ S ])

an act of thinking again about a plan, idea, or system in order to change or improve it:

The incident led to a rethink of the department's health and safety policies.

a complete/fundamental/radical rethink A fundamental rethink on executive pay is needed.

(Definition of rethink from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of rethink

rethink

Rethinking the cold war; rethinking science and technology in the cold war; rethinking the social study of science and technology.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Safety and independence : rethinking some basic concepts in longterm care.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Exercises in rethinking innateness : a handbook for connectionist simulations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The economic aspects of male hormone therapy should be reconsidered fully during a time when social insurance reimbursements are being seriously rethought.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To do this effectively, the shuttering needs to be rethought not only in detail, but also conceptually.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Equally, when things went wrong, he was strongly supportive - particularly of students - and creative in rethinking hypotheseses and in adjusting grants to fund further work.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the early twentieth century, the medical approach to leprosy in the colonies was radically rethought.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In rethinking how language teaching and learning is carried out for a lingua franca, new methodologies are required.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

One theme that runs through the contributions to these books is that of rethinking the nation.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Because of the structured interview schedule, the respondent was ' forced ' into rethinking her views.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They were changes which involved rethinking both his notion of faith and his anthropology, two entities which were closely related to each other.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Popular music studies have of course contributed a great deal to rethinking the relationship between popular culture and ideology.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Like other legacies from the nineteenth century - space-time trajectories, progress, or political power - the notion seemed in need of rethinking.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Towards a systemic research methodology in agriculture: rethinking the role of values in science.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Similarly, the patient may be confronted with a life crisis for which her existing values are inadequate and need to be developed or rethought.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of rethink?

What is the pronunciation of rethought?