refurbish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
refurbishsimple
-
refurbishessimple
-
have refurbishedperfect
-
has refurbishedperfect
-
am refurbishingprogressive
-
are refurbishingprogressive
-
is refurbishingprogressive
-
have been refurbishingperfect progressive
-
has been refurbishingperfect progressive
Past
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refurbishedsimple
-
had refurbishedperfect
-
was refurbishingprogressive
-
were refurbishingprogressive
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had been refurbishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of refurbish
Explanation
Whether it’s a bike, an old computer, or a tennis stadium, when you refurbish something you clean it up and make it look or perform better. When you refurbish something, you generally keep the structure the same but improve its looks and possibly its functionality. For example, if you renovate a room you may make it "new again" with structural changes, such as tearing down walls and altering its original design. If you refurbish it, however, you will most likely focus on making it look better with cosmetic changes, such as painting it. The word refurbish is also often used to describe secondhand technology that has been rebuilt to restore function by replacing a component that has failed.
Vocabulary lists containing refurbish
100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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The Suffix -ish, Part 2
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Undefeated
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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:
Apple will have to streamline its process for reclaiming leased hardware and be prepared to refurbish devices at scale once customers return them, Feinseth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
While I fruitlessly tapped my L.A. street art connections, Valdez posted in Goodbye Pillarhenge Park: “Looking for the original artist to refurbish the bird.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
MPs and peers have been presented with proposals to refurbish the ailing Palace of Westminster and will decide what to do, in votes that are yet to be scheduled.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
And with stakes in companies that could potentially produce hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude a day, as well refurbish the country’s largest refinery, arguably no one had more at stake financially than Sargeant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
This would be a time to find a sheltered place beside a stream to rest and refurbish.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
The company then refurbishes and resells the suitcases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
But Mr Radstone, who refurbishes empty homes through his company You Spot Property, argues, that this can "push people away from wanting to engage with the council".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2025
Recently I got really into watching this person who finds furniture on the street and refurbishes it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, said the U.S. no longer buys new Abrams, but uses older ones as “seed vehicles” and refurbishes them.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2023
He worked in the barbershop for a while, then got a job working for Free Venture, an environmentally certified nonprofit that refurbishes and recycles e-waste on-site.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Twain bought the retreat for $3,250,000 in the early 1990s, then refurbished and expanded the 28,000-square-foot residence to add a recording studio.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The chef partner relaunched the 300-year-old Bryntirion Inn, in Bala, Gwynedd, last year with an updated menu and refurbished dining room.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Hearn has told US media he visited the refurbished pool after a bike ride and noticed a piece of partially detached "American blue" paint liner.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
With prices of new tech on the rise, the refurbished market never looked so good.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Within a few months, the family moved into a refurbished house with a completely renovated kitchen.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The leasing option could also benefit Apple’s refurbishing program, Feinseth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Out in the street, a business consultant who recently voted for the left-wing populist Green Party, also worried about illegal migrants, as did a painter who was busy refurbishing Cain’s butcher’s shop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
During his tenure, Air India began refurbishing aircraft and restructuring operations but also struggled with safety concerns and operational challenges.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
There have been worries about the progress of the rollout of its new surgery robot, the da Vinci 5, and worries about competitors getting into the business of refurbishing and reselling used Intuitive parts.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
Building the synchrotron and the hot lab and refurbishing the 184-inch would cost at least another $605,000.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions 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.
