‘re Contraction of are: They’re not at home.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.’re contraction of (Grammar) are: we’re; you’re; they’re. Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014re1 (re?) n. the musical syllable used for the second tone in the ascending diatonic scale. [1400?50; late Middle English; see gamut] re2 (ri, re?) prep. with reference to; regarding. [1700?10;