What does rejoining mean?
Rejoining means returning to somewhere or something after a period of separation. The word is commonly used when someone resumes membership in an organization, returns to an activity, comes back to a conversation, or follows a route that has temporarily diverged from another. For example, a soldier may rejoin the army, while two paths rejoin farther along the road. The prefix re- emphasizes the return to a previous connection or position, distinguishing it from the more general act of joining for the first time. Rejoining can also mean coming back together after separation, although reunite is often more natural for people. The word appears widely in British and American English and is particularly associated with military service and transport or geographical descriptions.
verbTo return to a place, group, activity, or conversation after having left it, or to join something again.
- To return to a place, organization, activity, or group after a period away.
- To come back together with another person or group.
- To converge again with another road, route, or watercourse.
- To resume participation in a conversation or discussion.
"After a year abroad, she rejoined the company in its London office."
"The two branches of the trail rejoin below the ridge."
"She rejoined the discussion after checking the figures."
Like a path or a conversation, rejoining means coming back to a point you had left behind.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rejoining come from?
The verb comes from join, an Old French word derived from Latin jungere, meaning “to connect” or “put together.” The prefix re-, from Latin again, added the sense of returning or joining once more. Related English words such as conjoin, enjoin, disjoin, and junction belong to the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How rejoining is actually used
Rejoin is common in British and American English. It is especially frequent in military contexts, where it can mean returning to active service, and in transport contexts, where it describes routes or lanes converging.