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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rebuildsimple
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rebuildssimple
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have rebuildedperfect
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have rebuiltperfect
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has rebuildedperfect
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has rebuiltperfect
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am rebuildingprogressive
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are rebuildingprogressive
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is rebuildingprogressive
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have been rebuildingperfect progressive
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has been rebuildingperfect progressive
Past
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rebuildedsimple
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rebuiltsimple
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had rebuildedperfect
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had rebuiltperfect
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was rebuildingprogressive
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were rebuildingprogressive
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had been rebuildingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Appeared in the February 24, 2026, print edition as 'Apple Aims To Help Rebuild U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
Rebuild capacity in 10 critical industries where China seeks dominance: bio-pharma, artificial intelligence, aerospace, high-tech ships, robotics, advanced rail, electric vehicles, power equipment, advanced agriculture and new materials.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
Louise Atherton, chief executive and founder of Rebuild With Hope said the initiative was inspired by the charity's work in disadvantaged communities where "people can't afford the basics any more".
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025
Rebuild Local News President Steven Waldman said the $30-million pledge to support local news was “modest” but a “meaningful first step.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025
In useless effort, then, waste no time; Rebuild your ladder, and climb and climb.
From Poems of Progress by Wilcox, Ella Wheeler
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.
