What does rearranging mean?
Rearranging means changing the order, position, sequence, or overall organization of something that already has a particular arrangement. The word is especially common when discussing furniture, objects, written material, schedules, and plans. For example, a person may be rearranging furniture in a room, rearranging the sections of a report, or rearranging the order in which tasks will be completed. The word can also suggest changing the timing of events, as in rearranging a journey after a delay. It is a fairly formal and descriptive verb, with a mild connotation of purposeful reorganization rather than complete destruction or recreation. Unlike arrange, which can mean organizing something for the first time, rearranging specifically emphasizes changing an existing order. Its present-participle form is common in descriptions of ongoing activity, such as rearranging the pieces of a puzzle or rearranging the agenda.
To put something into a different order, position, or arrangement, especially after it has already been organized.
"They are rearranging the displays to make the museum easier to navigate."
Often used with furniture, documents, schedules, plans, and other things whose order or organization is being changed.
The act of changing the order, position, or organization of something.
"The rearrangement of the timetable caused some confusion at first."
As a noun, it is usually used with another modifier, such as a slight, minor, or major rearrangement.
Rearranging suggests that the pieces were already in place and are being given a new configuration.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rearranging come from?
The word is formed from the prefix re-, meaning again, and the verb arrange. Arrange itself comes through Middle English from Old French arranger, ultimately from Latin ad- plus a Germanic element related to rank and order. The form rearranging developed as the present participle of rearrange and became common in English by the 19th century.
Related word forms
How rearranging is actually used
Rearranging is commonly used for physical objects as well as for plans, schedules, systems, and written material. It emphasizes the act of changing an existing arrangement rather than creating one from scratch.
Easily confused with rearranging
Arrange means to put things in a desired order or to organize them, whereas rearranging specifically means changing an existing order or arrangement.