reset
reset Lexical Profile
reset Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To restore a computer, electronic device, or digital credential to its initial or default state.
"You will need to reset your password before logging into the corporate portal."
To set, adjust, or fix something again or differently, especially a clock, meter, or mechanical instrument.
"Remember to reset your watch when we cross into the new time zone."
To place a broken bone back into its proper anatomical alignment for healing, or to mount a gemstone into a new setting.
"The orthopedic surgeon had to reset the patient's fractured wrist under local anesthesia."
Scottish To knowingly receive and keep stolen goods, or to harbor a criminal (in Scots law).
"The merchant was accused of conspiring to reset property taken during the burglary."
• noun
An act or instance of setting, adjusting, or initializing something again, especially returning an electronic device or system to its original state.
"A full factory reset solved the smartphone's persistent software glitches."
A fresh start or deliberate change in approach, policy, or relationship dynamics.
"The diplomatic summit was billed as a strategic reset in relations between the two nations."
Scottish The criminal offense of knowingly receiving and keeping stolen goods, or harboring an outlaw.
"He was charged with theft and the reset of stolen jewelry in the Edinburgh sheriff court."
Word Nuance & Usage
The verb 'reset' is typically irregular in the past tense and past participle ('reset'), though the regular form 'resetted' occasionally appears in informal contexts; in Scottish legal usage, 'reset' is a distinct term meaning to receive stolen goods.
• Rhymes for reset
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English from the prefix 're-' (again) and the verb 'set' (from Old English 'settan', meaning to cause to sit or put in a place). The distinct Scottish legal sense of receiving stolen property derives separately from Old French 'receter' (to harbor or shelter).