reunite

reunite — verb

1. to bring or come back together after a period of being apart, so that people, gr

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to bring or come back together after a period of being apart, so that people, groups, or parts of a country that were separated meet or are brought together once more

Example

After ten years abroad, Yael flew back to Taipei to reunite with her family.

reunite + with [person/group] for personal reunion

The members of the old jazz band reunited for one final concert.

Common collocations
  • reunite with family
  • reunite with loved ones
  • reunite a country
  • reunited after years / decades
  • reunite the group / team / band
  • finally reunited
  • help reunite
Synonyms
  • bring together

    less specific; does not imply that the people were previously connected

  • reconcile

    stronger emotional sense; suggests mending a broken relationship, not just meeting again

  • reunify

    more formal; used almost exclusively for countries, territories, or political groups

  • get back together

    informal; mostly used for couples or small groups

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

reunite + [people or group] (transitive)

reunite + with + [person or group] (intransitive)

be reunited + [adverbial of time]

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive ('be reunited') when focusing on the people who come together rather than on who brought them. The preposition 'with' marks the person or group the subject joins again.

Common Mistakes

I reunited to my old friend at the party.
I reunited with my old friend at the party.
the correct pattern is 'reunite with someone,' not 'reunite to someone.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Reunite is the most general word and covers both personal reunions (friends, family) and political reunification. Reunify is more formal and is almost always limited to countries, territories, or political parties — you would not say two friends reunified. Reconcile adds a strong emotional layer of healing a conflict or disagreement; reuniting simply focuses on being together again, whether or not there was a quarrel. Bring together is the broadest of the four and does not necessarily imply the people knew each other before — it can mean simply assembling people in one place. For example: 'The UN helped reunify the country after the civil war' contrasts with 'It took years for the two brothers to reconcile after their argument.'

reunite ↗reunifyreconcile ↗bring together

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • after years apart
  • for a final concert
  • after the war

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Reunite comes from Latin, where the prefix 're-' means 'again' and 'unire' means 'to unite' or 'to make one.' The word entered English through French in the 1500s. The idea is simple: something that was once one is made one again.