reunion

reunion — noun

1. A planned gathering for people who share a past connection — such as classmates,

1.nounB1
Definition

A planned gathering for people who share a past connection — such as classmates, relatives, or former teammates — to meet again after a long period apart.

Example

The Chen family reunion brought together over fifty relatives from four different countries.

compound: family reunion

At her high school reunion, Mira was surprised to see how much everyone had changed.

compound: high school reunion

Common collocations
  • family reunion
  • class reunion
  • school reunion
  • college reunion
  • hold a reunion
  • attend a reunion
  • organize a reunion
Synonyms
  • gathering

    broader term; does not imply a long separation between meetings

  • get-together

    more informal and typically smaller in scale

  • homecoming

    specifically for alumni returning to a school or institution, often with festivities

Grammar Patterns

often used in compounds: family/class/school + reunion

often modified by a noun showing the group involved

Usage Note

Often paired with a noun specifying the group (family, class, school, regiment). In British English, 'school reunion' is more common than 'class reunion.'

Common Mistakes

I am going to a meeting reunion.
I am going to a class reunion.
'reunion' already means a meeting of old acquaintances; do not pair it with 'meeting.'
We had a small family reunion last weekend with just my parents and me.' (grammatically fine but pragmatically odd — reunions imply a larger group who have not seen one another.)
Use 'gathering' or 'get-together' for small, frequent family meetings.

2. The experience or moment of meeting someone again after a long separation, wheth

2.nounB1
Definition

The experience or moment of meeting someone again after a long separation, whether the meeting is planned or happens by chance.

Example

Their reunion at the airport after two years apart was full of tears and laughter.

possessive + reunion + at [location]

Jabari did not expect a reunion with his childhood friend on a trip to Osaka.

reunion with + person

Common collocations
  • emotional reunion
  • joyful reunion
  • reunion with family
  • chance reunion
  • tearful reunion
Synonyms
  • meeting

    neutral term; does not imply a long separation beforehand

  • homecoming

    implies returning home after a long absence, often with a celebratory tone

  • reuniting

    the gerund form, emphasises the process rather than the event

Antonyms
  • separation

    state of being apart, which precedes a reunion

  • parting

    the act of saying goodbye, the opposite of meeting again

Grammar Patterns

often followed by 'with' + person/group

often preceded by a possessive

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 focuses on the act or moment of meeting, not the organized event. Common with possessive determiners ('their reunion', 'our reunion') and the preposition 'with'.

Common Mistakes

The family reunion was very emotional.' (ambiguous — could be sense 1 or 2.)
If you mean the moment of meeting, say 'The family's reunion at the airport was very emotional.' The possessive signals sense 2.

3. A French overseas department located east of Madagascar, across the Indian Ocean

3.nounB2
Definition

A French overseas department located east of Madagascar, across the Indian Ocean, with volcanic mountains and a culturally diverse population of European, African, and Asian heritage.

Example

Élise spent her summer holiday hiking through the rainforest on Réunion Island.

on Réunion Island — preposition for location

Piton de la Fournaise on Réunion Island is among the most active volcanoes.

Common collocations
  • on Réunion Island
  • Réunion Island's volcano
  • visit Réunion
  • the island of Réunion

Grammar Patterns

usually preceded by 'Réunion Island' or 'the island of Réunion'

often with 'on' or 'in'

Usage Note

Always capitalized as a proper noun. The French spelling includes an acute accent: Réunion. Can be referred to as 'Réunion,' 'Réunion Island,' or 'the island of Réunion.' The English definite article is optional but common: 'on Réunion' vs. 'on the island of Réunion.'

Common Mistakes

Reunion Island' (without accent)
Réunion Island
the French acute accent is part of the official name.
Réunion is in Africa.' (technically correct by proximity but misleading.)
Réunion is a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean.
Idioms

Réunion

idiom

An overseas department of France in the western Indian Ocean, part of the Mascarene Islands, with Saint-Denis as its capital; a single island territory of about 2,500 square kilometres.

Réunion sends elected representatives to the French National Assembly in Paris.

Sugar and rum are among the main exports of Réunion.

Word family

  • reunite
    verbB2
  • reunited
    adjectiveB2
  • reunification
    nounC1
  • reunifying
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe people coming together, but they differ in formality, purpose, and the relationship between attendees. A 'reunion' specifically implies that the participants share a past connection (school, family, military unit) and have not met for a long time. A 'gathering' is the broadest term — it covers any group of people assembled for any purpose, from a casual backyard barbecue to a formal conference, without any implication of a previous connection. A 'get-together' is an informal, usually small social meeting among friends or family; it is more casual than a reunion and does not require years of separation. 'Homecoming' refers to a special event where former members of a school or institution return, often with a parade or sports game, and carries a strong emotional and ceremonial tone. For example, you might say: 'Our high school reunion drew 200 alumni,' but 'a quiet get-together with old classmates' suggests a much smaller, less formal event.

reunion ↗gathering ↗get-togetherhomecoming ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from French 'réunion' (reunion, assembly), which evolved from Latin 're-' meaning 'again' and 'unio' meaning 'becoming one' or 'a joining together.' It entered English in the early 1600s referring to the act of people or groups coming back together. The volcanic island in the Indian Ocean was given the name 'Réunion' in 1793 by French revolutionaries to commemorate the unification of revolutionary forces from Marseille with the National Guard in Paris.