rejuvenate
Americanverb (used with object)
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rejuvenates,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejuvenated,
past participle, past
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rejuvenating
present participle
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to make young again; restore to youthful vigor, appearance, etc..
That vacation has certainly rejuvenated him.
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to restore to a former state; make fresh or new again.
to rejuvenate an old sofa.
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Physical Geography.
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to renew the activity, erosive power, etc., of (a stream) by uplift or by removal of a barrier in the stream bed.
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to impress again the characters of youthful topography on (a region) by the action of rejuvenated streams.
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verb (used without object)
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rejuvenates,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejuvenated,
past participle, past
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rejuvenating
present participle
verb
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to give new youth, restored vitality, or youthful appearance to
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(usually passive) geography
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to cause (a river) to begin eroding more vigorously to a new lower base level, usually because of uplift of the land
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to cause (a land surface) to develop youthful features
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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rejuvenationnoun
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rejuvenatornoun
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rejuvenativeadjective
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unrejuvenatedadjective
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unrejuvenatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rejuvenatesimple
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rejuvenatessimple
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have rejuvenatedperfect
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has rejuvenatedperfect
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am rejuvenatingprogressive
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are rejuvenatingprogressive
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is rejuvenatingprogressive
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have been rejuvenatingperfect progressive
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has been rejuvenatingperfect progressive
Past
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rejuvenatedsimple
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had rejuvenatedperfect
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was rejuvenatingprogressive
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were rejuvenatingprogressive
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had been rejuvenatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rejuvenate
First recorded in 1800–10; re- + Latin juven(is) “young” + -ate 1; see also young
Explanation
When you make something young again or give it more life and energy, you rejuvenate it. For example, you can often rejuvenate a not-quite-dead plant, bringing it back to health with some water and some TLC. One way to remember the word rejuvenate is to pick it apart to its heart, the juve. This juve sounds like juvenile — which refers to youth. Add the prefix re, which means "again," and the "ate" suffix, which stands for "do or make." Put them all together and you get "make young again" — the meaning of rejuvenate. We all want to be younger, as witnessed by all the ads for products that promise to rejuvenate us through special cosmetics or foods or exercise equipment.
Vocabulary lists containing rejuvenate
Brave New World
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Prisoner B-3087
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But Ihm says he hopes that Stile will help rejuvenate the area and create an ecosystem that will support neighboring businesses as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Dr Kelly spearheaded efforts to rejuvenate Glasgow in the 1980s, launching the famous Glasgow's Miles Better campaign before later becoming the rector of the University of Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
With bands of men patrolling the 273,000-acre forest, poachers and illegal loggers have stayed away, allowing the grasslands to rejuvenate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Scott hopes this shuttling around of his stem cells, a procedure that costs patients $10,000, will rejuvenate his 82-year-old body and ward off the effects of aging.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Spirits flurried around inside her to rejuvenate whatever damage had been done as she rose and took an uneasy step forward.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
"Sometimes a move rejuvenates a player. He is the type of player you think as an ex-centre-back, I am glad I am not playing now."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
We need a foreign-policy approach that rejuvenates our alliances and creates enduring and mutually beneficial ties around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
"Niacin treatment rejuvenates immune cells so they can do what they are supposed to do, attack and kill the cancer cells. I see it as an ongoing 'battle for the brain'."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
The LP — co-produced by Aaron Dessner with guests Hozier, Gracie Abrams and Chris Stapleton — rejuvenates a catalog that includes a Grammy for album of the year in 2013.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
All my discoveries make headlines, but the most controversial is a soap that rejuvenates aging skin.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
“That was an important residency for us to have. It rejuvenated me,” Aaron adds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Only a rejuvenated Palestinian Authority can represent the Palestinian people on the world stage and negotiate a lasting peace with Israel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
But publishing her first novel in 2023 — “This Bird Has Flown,” a charming bestseller about a one-hit wonder looking for a comeback — rejuvenated Hoffs’ devotion to songwriting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"I thrive better in a warmer climate and feel rejuvenated."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The moment aroused a whole orchestra of rich emotions among the British—pride, patriotism, nostalgia for the lost past of the war and derring do, hope for a rejuvenated future.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Michelle Tritten of Hello Critter hosts rejuvenating goat yoga events around Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Product-development jobs have moved from Wolfsburg to China in a bid to rejuvenating its business there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The plan is aimed at rejuvenating the economies of areas outside the capital Seoul, President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Proposed reforms include banning duplicate listings, delisting underperforming companies, and rejuvenating a start-up exchange.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
