Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - reform

(reforms, reforming, reformed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Reform consists of changes and improvements to a law, social system, or institution. A reform is an instance of such a change or improvement. The party embarked on a programme of economic reform... The Socialists introduced fairly radical reforms. N-VAR 2. If someone reforms something such as a law, social system, or institution, they change or improve it. ...his plans to reform the country’s economy... A reformed party would have to win the approval of the people. VERB: V n, V-ed 3. When someone reforms or when something reforms them, they stop doing things that society does not approve of, such as breaking the law or drinking too much alcohol. When his court case was coming up, James promised to reform... We will try to reform him within the community. VERB: V, V n • reformed ...a reformed alcoholic. ADJ: usu ADJ n 4. see also re-form