reinventing the wheel

noun

The action of taking the effort to devise a solution to a problem, unaware of the fact that someone else has already devised the same solution to the same problem.

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Meanings

nounreinventing the wheel (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe action of taking the effort to devise a solution to a problem, unaware of the fact that someone else has already devised the same solution to the same problem.
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of reinvent the wheel.
Cite this entry
APA

reinventing the wheel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reinventing%20the%20wheel

MLA

“reinventing the wheel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reinventing%20the%20wheel. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “reinventing the wheel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/reinventing%20the%20wheel.

Source: reinventing the wheel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.