rebuild
Americanverb (used with object)
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to repair, especially to dismantle and reassemble with new parts.
to rebuild an old car.
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to replace, restrengthen, or reinforce.
to rebuild an army.
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to revise, reshape, or reorganize.
to rebuild a shattered career.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make, construct, or form again
the cost of rebuilding the house
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(tr) to restore (a system or situation) to a previous condition
his struggle to rebuild his life
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rebuild
Explanation
When you construct something again, you rebuild it. If the chair you made from scraps of wood collapses when you sit in it, you can either rebuild it or give up on the idea of making your own furniture. When a natural disaster — like a hurricane or a tornado — destroys people's houses, they usually need the community's help to rebuild them. Before modern fire departments existed, several cities in the United States burned in terrible fires, destroying nearly all the homes and businesses. These cities had to rebuild, which they often did using less flammable materials, like bricks, rather than just wood.
Vocabulary lists containing rebuild
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.
For the four-part BBC Radio 4 podcast series, journalists have been following Malkinson as he has attempted to rebuild his life following his release from prison in 2020.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
It also helps them rebuild the world these ancient hominins inhabited.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
Iran’s navy won’t be able to rebuild for 5-10 years or reach its prior level “for a generation,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
“We have more than $2.5 billion worth of public infrastructure we have to rebuild, including these sewers.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
“You know, you’re the inspiration for this. The company who sent the trees mentioned seeing that a local kid was donating profits from his chicken coop sales to rebuild the picnic area.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
